Perfectly In The Right Mind
by MiSs LiSsi LisS
Summary: YxA AU. Yoh and Anna were best friends, inseparable, that is, until Yoh found out the horrible truth of Anna's step-family and they were separated. Now, nearly 8 years later they meet again. PROLOGUE INCLUDED: tells of their childhood. Please R&R COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **_**PLEASE READ!!**_** I would like to make an announcement before you start reading my story, please. Whenever you see something in the author's note that is ****bold****, I'd like it if you'd please read it. It's probably important, so please don't skip it. If there's anything in the author's note that's not bold, you can go ahead and skip it; it's probably just me rambling. I mean, you don't have to skip it, by all means read it, but I know some of you out there probably would rather skip my ramblings. For right now, that is all. Thank you.**

**WARNING:** I would rather not spoil the story, so I will just make a small warning that **you might find a certain part of this story uncomfortable or disturbing**, though I'm not graphic, some might still get the thought. **You have been warned.**

And again, sorry to disturb you, but **this story is dedicated to my dear friend Jamesters, who has read my chapters before I post them, giving me confidence to even do this.** Though sometimes my chapters have come to her at a busy time, she still reads them. **Thanks Jamesters, I really appreciate it. :) **

**DISCLAIMER: All Shaman King characters are belong to Hiroyuki Takei.** **Everything/one else is mine.**

Okay, without any further adieu, **please enjoy**!

**Key:**

_Italics: Yoh's narration_

Prologue

_Kyoyama Anna. My best friend back when I was little. We were like two opposites: she was tough, smart, and headstrong, while I was lazy, an idiot, and laidback. Though we were like opposites, we were still the best of friends. Kindergarten is when it all had started. My twin brother was like Anna, he wasn't shy or intimidated by others easily, so on the first day he had already knew the whole class, while I stood back and waited for someone to catch my interest…the first person to do that was her._

Yoh looked around. It was the first day of kindergarten and he didn't know anyone except for his twin brother Hao who had already been around the classroom making friends. Yoh looked at his brother and thought to himself; he could never do what Hao was doing. He couldn't just go up to people and start talking about who-knows-what. Yoh had a look of discouragement on his face and sadly looked down, staring at his new black school shoes. They were shiny and clean. Yoh winced, what was he doing? He didn't want to stand here and stare at his shoes all day. He took a deep breath and looked up. He looked around the classroom and his eyes stopped at one particular person. It stopped on a girl with shoulder-length blonde hair that was leaning against the pretty autumn decorated walls. Yoh smiled, there was someone standing alone like him! He figured that it probably wouldn't be so scary to talk to someone who was scared like him.

As Yoh walked toward the girl, he tried to remember his manners. He reviewed them in his head. To be nice and give compliments while still being very honest was what Yoh's father had told him to be when he talked to a girl. Yoh was still very nervous because he hadn't talked to a girl his age before, but it was time for him to be brave. He took a deep breath as he approached her. He stopped in front of her and opened his mouth,

"Hi! You're cute!"

This took the girl by surprise, her dark brown eyes widened for a bit, but then quickly narrowed; it was her turn to speak: "Drop dead."

Yoh was completely taken aback by the girl's response. 'Drop dead'? Was that all the girl had to say? Yoh's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes started to water, and he pouted his lips. This was the first time he had ever talked to a girl…were all girls this mean?

The girl saw that the boy's feeling were hurt and her eyes became softer as she sighed. She didn't mean what she said; she was just caught off guard. She out-stretched her arm and her hand was a few centimeters away from Yoh's chest, "I'm Kyoyama Anna."

Yoh smiled and the threatening tears went away as he shook her hand, "I'm Asakura Yoh!"

Anna smiled, "Asakura……I like that name."

_From then on, Anna and I were inseparable. We somehow complemented each other and got along great. We knew almost everything about each other. She used to wear this lotion that smelled very good. One day I asked her what was it that made her smell so good, she replied while taking out a bottle with a pink substance inside. She said it was her lotion and it was called: "Strawberries and Champagne." I remember asking her if I could wear some, but she laughed at me and said, _"Only if you want to smell like a girl."

_Due to Anna's tough and headstrong attitude, everyone in the class "respected" her. They knew that if they messed with her, they'd be in for it. And she was actually a genius in her own right. She had the chance to skip a couple of grades, but she refused to go, saying that she'd rather stay with her friends. _

_While I had a mother, father, and twin brother, Anna only had her mother. I actually don't know what happened to her biological father. Whether he died, left, or was ever even married to Anna's mother is unknown to me. I only knew that he wasn't there by the time I met Anna in kindergarten. I also knew that Anna was half-American, but I don't think her father was American. If he was, he was only half. That explains why she had an American name and blonde hair. Her mom, though, had blonde hair too. And they were always considered a "rare beauty", so her mother did tend to go off on a lot of dates. While Anna's mother was out, Anna stayed under my family's care at least until her mother came home. Anna's mother was nice and pretty, though I could tell where Anna got her attitude from. But there was this one guy Anna's mother started dating (when we were in about the beginning of second grade) named Haijime. Although it seemed Anna's mother liked Haijime a lot, she still seemed sad. I remember I used to ask:_

"What's wrong, Mrs. Kyoyama?"

_And she used to give me that same old sad smile,_ "Why, nothing, Yoh-kun."

_Haijime had 2 sons, Kyosuke (elder) and Kosuke (younger). While I can't really remember their age, I'd say they Kyosuke was somewhere around 15 to 17 and Kosuke was around 13 to 15. If Kyosuke was 15 or 16 then Kosuke had to be 13, but I can't really say for sure. I did remember, though, that neither Anna nor I liked them. They were mean to me and teased Anna. Anna would sometimes go to school in a bad mood because her mother would be in a bad mood too. I remember one time asking why her mother stayed with Haijime, and Anna answered saying that her mother doesn't even know._

_By the end of second grade, Anna's mother had married Haijime. Why? Anna and I had no idea. But now Anna was in a worse mood than before. She'd now have to live with those two brothers and father that she didn't like. Often times, Anna would run away to my house at night. She'd come and tap on my window and I'd let her in. I shared a room with Hao and he wasn't too fond of the idea of Anna sneaking in the house, but he'd let her do it anyway. Then later on that night we'd get a knock on the door from Anna's mom and step-father. My parents would be furious at Hao and me for not telling them that Anna had run away here. Anna's mother would give a poor excuse for a smile and say that Anna just probably missed hanging out with me every night. Anna would just stare at the ground; like she was afraid to say something out-of-line. I remember looking up at Anna's step-father and being frightened by his dark glaring eyes. They were scarier than my own father's. Then her step-father would grab Anna by the wrist (which looked rather painful) and tell her to say her goodbyes. Anna said goodbye without making eye contact and her step-father would yank her out of the front door to be on their way home. Anna's mother looked apologetically to my parents and said sorry. Even though it was dark, I was still able to tell how pale Anna's mother's face was. She'd look at me, and I'd be shocked for a little bit, but then she'd close her eyes and turn around to follow her husband and daughter who were already out the door._

_Things just never seemed to look up for Anna. At the end of third grade Anna's mother had died. I remember not really knowing her name until then. To me, she was always just Auntie. Anna's mother's name was Annabelle. I also remember going to her funeral and crying my eyes out. I looked over at Anna, who was just standing there emotionless with her step-father's hand tightly clenched on Anna's shoulders. After the burial our family walked over to her new "step" family. As my parents talked to her step-father, I walked over to her. _

"Anna, aren't you sad?" Yoh asked wiping his tears.

"Of course I am you idiot," she said not blinking as she stared at her mother's burial site. Her eyes seemed pale, even though they were a dark shade of brown. They just seemed so……blank.

"Then…then how come you're not crying?"

"I can't," her eyes winced, "There are no tears left. Even if I want to, I can't. They're all gone. It's like my mama says:

'Kyoyama Anna does not cry.'"

"But, Anna…"

"My life's over," she said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked.

"I hate Haijime. And Kyosuke. And Kosuke."

"That doesn't mean your life is over," Yoh put his hands in his suit's pockets.

Anna stayed silent as squatted down to get closer to her mother's grave. She sighed and slowly blinked.

"Anna?" Yoh squatted next to her.

"It smells like rain," her eyes seemed blank again.

"C'mon, Anna," Yoh stretched his hand out to help her up, "You'll get your dress dirty."

Once he helped her up, Anna clung to him. She smelt of her lotion, Strawberries and Champagne, "A-Anna?"

It started to rain. Her blonde hair started to get wet and turned a little darker than usual. Her bangs fell over her eyes. She whispered to him.

"C-come again?" Yoh asked as he didn't quite hear what she had said.

Anna shook her head; it looked like she was nuzzling against his arm and chest. She didn't want to repeat what she had whispered. She was still clinging to him. Her bangs were still in her eyes and the rain ran along her face like tears.

"Anna, are you crying?" Yoh asked trying to move the bangs away from Anna's eyes.

"Stupid," she said backing away and removing her bangs herself, "I told you:

'Kyoyama Anna does not cry.' It's just the rain making it look like I was crying."

_I remember debating on whether to believe her or not, but I had never seen Anna cry, so I decided to believe her. Though, I think back now, and I think she was really crying. After she told me that she doesn't cry I remember looking at her sadly while she had a somehow angry look on her face and her arms were crossed. After that Hao came and tapped my shoulder and told me that it was time to go. I looked at her, and she no longer had an angry expression but this time a sad one. While Hao pulled my arm to make me leave (because I didn't seem to be budging) I kept my eyes on Anna. My legs were moving, but my head was turned towards her. As I got further away I saw her expression turn sadder and her arms slowly uncrossed themselves and fall to her side as her hair started to fall in front of her eyes again. I felt so sad, like I wasn't going to see her again. As her sweet scent started to fade away, my dark hair started to fall over my eyes. My mother waved goodbye to her while saying that she could come over anytime that she wanted. My brother started to push me into the car. I suddenly wanted to know what Anna whispered in my ear. I looked at her sadly. She looked alone as she stood there in the rain. But she_ was _all alone, and that made things all the worse. _

_After the funeral, it was summer vacation. We lived in a little town that everyone nick-named _"Hick Town"_ and that's what everyone called it. I admit that I don't even remember its real name. And so, since it was called _"Hick Town"_, it wasn't unusual for people to have farmland. So sometimes during the summer the kids would help out with the families who did have farmland. And so usually when I'm done helping out my neighbor, I would go over to Anna's house to see if she could play. At first, my mother told me that I should give Anna some time before I asked to play. I understood that she was going through a hard time, so I was very patient and waited. But after about a month and a half into summer, my mom finally let me go over there. But whenever I did, her step-father would answer the door. I would ask if Anna could play and quickly after I finished asking he'd say: _"No. She's too busy to be playing with a filthy little boy like you."

_So, me being the idiot that I used to be went home and washed up. Every time, before I went to her house, made sure that I was clean and ask if she could play (adding a little "and now I'm clean, sir, I'm not filthy,") but his answer was always the same: _"No."

_School started in September and fourth grade was by far the worst year of my entire life. When we returned to school, Anna was quiet and cold. She hardly spoke but when she did, it felt like ice was coming straight from her lips. By now everyone feared her, forget the whole respect thing. I decided to be patient with her, though. I decided to give her more time. I knew that if my mother had died, I'd be like this too, but what I didn't know was that that wasn't the only reason Anna was sad and moody. _

It had been about a 4 months and a half since school started. So that means it was about mid-February and Anna still hadn't really been talking. It seemed like 5 words were her limit. It was a miracle if she spoke 6. Yoh and Anna had been walking home and there was an uncomfortable silence that hung heavily in the air. It had been like that since school started. They would walk down the dirt road, Anna had that cold stare and Yoh looked down at his shoes. He seemed to look at his shoes a lot lately. He would watch how dirt slowly gathered on them, turning the black on his shoes to a faded color. He hated this. His shoes weren't amazing, and they weren't ever going to be amazing; they were just faded black, ugly, old shoes. He took a breath; he decided that he'd at least try to talk to Anna. Hopefully, he thought, that she wouldn't cut their conversation short.

"So, Anna," he tried to think of what he could say, "My…uh, my 11th birthday is gunna come up soon……"

"Kudos," was all she said without any emotion in her words at all.

Yoh could feel his jaw drop. That's all she had to say? Well, maybe he should've picked a better topic, but still, he was getting tired of her cutting the conversation short. He opened his mouth again; it was time to be brave, "How come you don't smile any more?"

"What's there to smile about?" There, 5 words.

"Wanna talk about what's been botherin' you?"

"No." She said flat out and walked ahead.

Yoh opened his mouth to protest, but Anna cut him short. They reached her house.

"Bye Yoh, see you tomorrow," She waved goodbye without even looking at him. Again. That was exactly 5 words. She didn't say anything more. Yoh used to walk Anna to her door, but now she says her goodbyes before they reach the driveway to her house. He'd stand there and wait for her to enter her door. He'd wave and she'd glance at him for a moment, give a quick wave, and enter the house. Yoh stood there for a while and pouted, what happened to his best friend? These last couple of months had been very lonely, even though she was standing right there. She was like a different person. Yoh and Anna no longer had races, played tag, hide-and-go-seek, or any activities like that. Yoh really missed that. He sadly looked down at his ugly faded black shoes, "Shoes, I wish you were amazing." He turned and slowly walked home.

Another month quickly passed by and Yoh wasn't gunna stand for this anymore. He was tired of this. He wanted his friend back and he was gunna find out what was wrong! Yoh and Anna started to walk home. It wasn't as easy as Yoh thought it was going to be. He opened his mouth and then took a deep breath, but then he saw her blank eyes and her emotionless expression. He'd quickly exhale the breath he was holding and it sounded like an exasperated sigh. He did that several times, until finally Anna said, "If you have something to say then say it."

Yoh's eyes widened. He counted, that was 9 words. 9 words!! It was a miracle! That was _almost_ 5 more words than he had expected! Yoh's mouth opened with glee, but then quickly closed when Anna looked at him from the corner of her eye, "What?"

Yoh jumped a little, "W-well, it's just that you don't smile anymore. And I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I, Anna? You're my best friend." Yoh asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm going through a hard time, that's all."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Anna stopped. She turned her head opposite of Yoh (to her left). She stared at the scene that was now in front of her. There was a lake, surrounded by tall grass and a tree with many branches. Anna gave a small, half smile, "Remember when we used to stop here on our way home and swim here in the summers?"

Yoh smiled, "Yeah."

"Let's stop here for a while," she said as she walked forward and laid her backpack on the floor, which made an indent on the tall grass. Yoh came and placed his backpack down next to hers and made his way to the tree. He climbed up to a long, low branch and then turned to help Anna climb up. It was hard to climb up a tree in a skirt. Lately, Anna had been wearing sweaters (which where unusual for her) and her skirt seemed a little longer. Even her socks, which she usually wore knee-high, where now about thigh-high. When Yoh helped Anna up, her sock got caught on the bark and pulled it down a bit. When Anna was settled on the tree branch, Yoh noticed that her sock had moved down and he noticed the big bruise that was on her leg, "Anna, where'd you get that?"

Anna's eyes widened and then quickly narrowed as she pulled up her sock. "Don't worry about it," she said quickly, "I was just a little careless at home. It'll go away soon. Anyway, let's just enjoy the view."

"O-okay," Yoh smiled as he looked towards the lake.

After a while of silence, Anna decided to speak, ever-so-softly, "I don't think I'll be able to spend my summers here anymore, Yoh."

"Why not?" Yoh looked sadly towards Anna.

Anna sadly looked down and stared at the plaid patterns on her skirt, "Because Yoh…I can't."

"Anna, are you moving away?"

"I wish I was, Yoh……I wish…"

_I didn't know what she meant by that. Did she want to move away from me? Was she tired of me? I remember being sad and not understanding why she wanted to leave. I was so confused; she seemed so distant with me now._

"I don't want to go home, Yoh," She leaned her head on Yoh's shoulder, "I don't want to, so……so let's just stay here for a little while."

"Okay," Yoh didn't understand, but he agreed because he did want to be with Anna. She had changed so much and he wanted to know why, he wanted to know what was wrong. He started to fear that he had lost her. After a while of solitude, Yoh finally spoke up, "Anna? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Argh!" Anna lifted her head up and glared at Yoh, "Ruin the moment why don't you!"

"Anna, I just wanna know," Yoh looked at her with sad eyes.

"Well it's none of your business!"

"But, Anna, if you move it is my business!"

"I'm not moving!" Anna fired back, full of frustration.

"Then why? Why are you so distant? Why have you changed so much?" Yoh looked at her sadly, "Practically everything's changed. Even your outfit's changed! You wear sweaters and high-socks when it's scorching hot outside!" She hardly showed any skin.

"Since when do you care what I wear? Pervert!"

"No—Anna!" Yoh was getting frustrated too.

"Geez…Leave me alone, Yoh!" She was about ready to climb down from the tree.

"Anna, just please tell me!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She shouted as she jumped off the branch. She landed on the grass, she didn't exactly land gracefully. She landed on her feet, but then fell back on her butt. She quickly recovered though; she grabbed her bag and ran off.

"Anna!" Yoh said and jumped down. He was in such hurry that he didn't land correctly. He got up and grabbed his bag, but stumbled and then fell over. His legs were weak because of his poor landing. Usually Yoh would be much faster than Anna, but at this rate, with Yoh's weak legs at the moment would never catch up to Anna. Yoh pouted and sat on the floor for a while, "Anna……please…"

_The next day, Anna was absent. I was relieved, yet I wasn't. I knew that if she had shown up to school that it would've been very awkward. But I wanted to clear things up quickly. I knew that Anna would still be mad. It was really killing me that I didn't know what was going on. I so badly wanted to know that I would actually try to stand up against Anna. It didn't matter if I got a black eye out of the deal, as long as I knew what was bothering her. I believed that I had the right to know. And I was going to find out. I believed that I could help her……somehow._

_The day after that, Anna came back to school. As I thought, it was very awkward. She started to ignore me. I felt bad, I knew it was my fault that she was mad at me, but I wasn't going to apologize and then forget that it ever happened. If anything I was going to apologize because I was going to keep bugging her about the problem. The other students had taken notice that we weren't talking, because to them it was unusual, but I didn't care what the other kids thought._

Anna sat on the opposite side of the room from Yoh. Yoh pouted, he knew this wasn't going to be easy. He had avoided eye contact with Anna for fear of her glaring eyes. But he had to face the fact that nothing will ever be solved if he just cowered away all the time. He looked up from his desk and looked across the room toward Anna's desk. Her arm was propped up on the desk, holding up her head; she was obviously bored. But there was something under her left eye. Yoh looked closer to see that it was a bandage. He instantly got worried like he always had whenever Anna got hurt. He felt like asking what was wrong, but now, in the middle of class, wasn't the time. So he had decided to wait until lunch.

When lunch had finally come, Anna went and sat under a tree. Yoh came up to her and she decided to ignore his presence. Yoh sat next to her, "What happened?"

Anna got up while rolling her eyes, "How many times do I have to say it: **It's none of your business**!" Anna started to walk angrily away.

Now Yoh was frustrated too. Why couldn't she understand that it _was_ his business too, they were best friends! But it seemed she didn't see it that way as she kept walking away. They were both so frustrated that they weren't paying attention to where they were headed.

"WATCH OUT!!" Came a cry from the kickball field, but Anna and Yoh were too preoccupied with being angry at each other. Neither of them would've guess that the people who had to "watch out" would be them, nonetheless Anna. The ball had come flying full forced and hit Anna. The ball had struck Anna's stomach area and she was on the ground holding it in seconds.

"Anna! Anna!" Yoh bent down to see if she was OK. Usually by now she'd be on her feet beating the crap out of whoever hit her…but this time she wasn't. Instead she was grunting in pain. This worried Yoh; Anna hadn't really ever showed pain. "Anna are you okay? Here, let me take you to the nurse's office." He gently tried to grab her wrist to help her up.

She whimpered in pain. Yoh stopped; his eyes widened. Anna **never**, **ever**whimpered in pain. He imagined that even if she did, it wouldn't sound like _that_. He was in complete and utter shock. Anna looked and sounded horrible. That wasn't like her at all!

"Anna?!" Yoh looked at her carefully. She had a pitiful expression on her face and then suddenly passed out, "Anna!"

By now a crowd of students surrounded them. Some were gasping, some were even asking, "Is she dead?" or even one kid said, "Wow, I didn't think I kicked it that hard!"

Yoh looked around; obviously no one else was going to offer their help, so he decided to pick her up himself. He carefully picked her up piggyback style and carried her to the nurse's office. The bell rang, but the students were still standing there, not knowing what to do. They felt bad, but they never thought that Anna would react like that. They too, now, knew something was up.

Once Yoh reached the nurse's office with Anna safely secured on his back, the nurse took Anna and then told Yoh to leave back to class. He refused.

"Don't worry, Anna-chan will alright," the nurse tried to sound reassuring, "I'll call her father to come pick her up."

"No! Her father won't pick her up!" Yoh argued. He knew very well that that man Haijime wouldn't take time out of his day to pick up his step-daughter. And if he were to see Anna now, he'd only say, "Tough it out little girl!"

"Yoh-kun! What makes you say that?"

"Just trust me I know!" Yoh said a little frantically, "I'll take her home!"

The nurse lifted an eyebrow, "Are you just trying to get out of class?"

"Why would I do that? Anna's hurt!" He said sincerely, "Just let me take her home!"

"No Yoh-kun let her father pick her up."

"But he's not gunna—"

"Asakura Yoh!" She was tired of him talking back, "To class now!"

Yoh sadly looked down, "Yes, ma'am." He exited out, but looked at Anna once again before leaving. How was he going to be able to concentrate in class when his best friend had passed out and was now in the nurse's office?

It was very hard to pay attention through the rest of the day, but somehow Yoh got through it. The final bell had rung and Yoh walked up to Hao, "Hey, Hao, I'm gunna check up on Anna."

"She's still here?" Hao asked.

"Yeah, well the nurse said that she'd call Anna's father to come pick her up," Yoh sighed, "But you know how Anna's father is."

"Yeah," Hao rolled his eyes, "The scariest man on earth."

"So I won't be home right away."

"When are you ever?" Hao grabbed his stuff, "You always walk Anna home."

"But I wanna make sure Anna is okay before I go home."

"Okay, I'll tell mom," Hao said as he and Yoh headed out the door.

"Thanks Hao!" Yoh said as he turned in the opposite direction of Hao as he headed towards the nurse's office.

"Oi, Yoh," Hao called and Yoh looked back, "Um…just…see what's wrong with Anna, okay?"

"Uh…sure," Yoh smiled as Hao turned to go on his way.

_It was pretty easy to say that just about everyone was worried about Anna. If Hao, the one who always argues with Anna, was worried, then something must've been wrong. I just didn't know what._

Yoh made it to the nurse's office in almost no time at all. It was the moment of truth: time to see if Anna's father picked her up or not. Yoh was not surprised to find that her step-father indeed did not pick her up. He looked at the nurse with an "I told'ya so!" face. "Can I take her home now?"

The nurse looked at him sadly, "Yoh……have you met Anna's father?"

"Tch, yeah! 'The scariest man on earth'!" Yoh quoted Hao, "He's really mean!"

"Um…Yoh-kun?"

"Huh?" He asked as he walked over the sleeping Anna.

"Has…" she struggled for a moment, "Has he ever…_hurt_ her?"

"Hurt her?" Yoh repeated it with an unbelievable tone. He half-laughed, "Why would he do that?"

"I…" her eyebrows furrowed, "Just…never mind. Make sure she gets home safely, Yoh-kun. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Uh-huh, yes ma'am!" Yoh said happily as he tried to gently to pick Anna up piggyback style. Once he got her on his back comfortably and safely, he went on his way. He got onto the dirt road and it wasn't long until Anna awoke from so much movement.

"Yoh?" Anna lifted her head up, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you home," he felt Anna trying to escape, so he held her tighter.

"Yoh put me down! I can get home by myself!"

"No, you're hurt, and besides," he turned his head towards her, "We always used to walk home together."

Anna sighed, "Yoh…?"

"Hm?"

"I wanna stop by our tree," she whispered.

"Okay," he smiled and started his way to their spot. As they walked, Anna leaned her head back on Yoh's shoulder. She relaxed and wrapped her arms a little tighter around him; almost like she was giving him a hug. His foot steps created a pattern that soon somehow rocked her back to sleep. Yoh felt her soft breaths on his neck. He blushed slightly, but smiled that Anna was getting good rest.

Once they reached their spot, Yoh gently put Anna on the floor; somehow she managed not to wake up. Yoh smiled as he looked at her. "She must be having a good dream," he stated quietly. He knew that usually when Anna had a bad dream, she'd talk in her sleep. When she did, she's spill out all her feeling and emotions. She hated it. Whenever she slept over his house, she'd warn him not to tell her if she talked in her sleep.

Yoh's eyebrows furrowed, what was wrong? He thought of what the nurse said, "_Has_ he hurt her?" he whispered. He wanted so badly to know. But he didn't know how to ask her. What if he was wrong? Anna would surely beat the crap out of him for even asking. But right now…he didn't really care. He just wanted to know.

_I'd never even thought if it before……but why? Why would Anna's step-father hurt her? It didn't make sense; Anna wasn't a bad child. No, not in the least bit. She was a genius, pretty, headstrong, tough, and sure she had a temper, but that was a sign of a good leader. Anna was not a bad child. _

_I remembered this next moment perfectly. This next moment was one that I'd never forget; the moment I learned the truth about Anna._

Yoh was tempted to find out why Anna screamed in pain when he touched her wrist. Her sweater was in the way though. It wasn't exactly winter anymore and still she wore all these excess clothes. He hadn't really noticed before, but Anna also had not let anyone touch her. He wanted to know why. If only he could remove her sweater. His eyes narrowed; he was going to look at her arms and he was going to find out why Anna was acting so weird. He tired to remove her sweater, but she woke up screaming, "NO!!"

Anna pulled on her sweater and back away into the tree trunk, "Stop!!" But then she realized that she was just yelling at Yoh, "Yoh?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I just," Yoh was hurt by her harsh tone. He tried to calm her down, "I just wanted to see what happened to your arm!"

"How is that any of your business?!" Anna yelled at him.

Yoh thought about what the nurse had said. He swallowed hard. It was now or never, "Has your father ever hurt you?"

"What?!" Anna was shocked, but angry at the same time, "Why do you say that?!"

"Well the nurse said……"

"And you believed that?" Anna put her hands on her hips.

Yoh noticed that Anna did not answer his question. He put on a serious face, "Anna, tell me."

She looked away and clutched onto her sweater tightly.

"Anna, please tell me!"

"I-it's none of your—"

"It **IS** my business!" For the first time in his life, Yoh had cut Anna off and argued with her. And he gave her that serious-angry face.

**:SMACK:**

Anna slapped Yoh in the cheek, hard, "How? How is it your business! You know nothing!! How dare you get forceful with me!!"

Yoh, whose dark bangs were in his eyes, had turned to look at her. His hand was on his burning cheek. His expression startled her. His eyes had determination in them…but they also had tears in him.

"_How is it my business_?" he repeated, "Anna! I care about you! Isn't that reason enough!! Please, Anna, I'm worried, and I care about you…!"

Anna's face softened a bit. She sighed as he took of her sweater and showed him her arms. Her arms were black, blue, purple and red. They had cuts and bruises all over them. Yoh's eyes widened.

"Anna…" He couldn't believe what he saw. Anna started to unbutton her bottom buttons on her blouse. She showed him her stomach. It was bluish-purple. He moved his finger to gently touch it, but she gave out a sharp gasp. He looked up at her, "Anna…who did this to you?"

"_Daddy_," her voice was full of hate.

So it was true. Her step-father this whole time had been abusing her, but for how long? Could this have been going on since Anna's mother was alive? No, it couldn't, could it have?

"A-and hitting me is not _all_ he does…" Anna said shakily.

"W-what do you mean?" Yoh asked and she turned away.

"Now you know, Yoh," Anna looked down and her bangs fell into her face. Her eyes were watery, "Now you know why I won't let anyone touch me, let alone near me. Now you know why I'm always in a bad mood. Now you know why I want to move. Now you know why I don't want to go home……"

Anna started to sniffle, "I-it's gunna rain."

Yoh looked up to the sky; perfectly clear, "What are you talking about Anna?"

She looked at Yoh and the tears slowly started to come out. She started to do something Yoh had never seen her do before: cry, "See? It's raining."

"Anna…you're crying…." Yoh said slowly.

"No! Kyoyama Anna does not cry!" she threw herself into Yoh's arms and sobbed loudly, "Oh, Yoh…I don't wanna be there anymore! I don't want to get hurt anymore! I'd rather die than go back there!"

_Strawberries and Champagne. Every time I smell that scent, I am reminded of this moment that I would never forget. Anna cried hard and long. The untouchable, headstrong Anna, was crying. It hurt me to see her like that. I didn't want to see her like that anymore. I felt like crying, but I had to be strong for Anna. All this was just so horrible. 4__th__ grade, 10 years old, and she wanted to die. She was crying hard yelling,_ "I don't want to go home!" _I wish I could've done something to stop it, but what could I have done? I was only 10 going on 11 at that time……what could I have done?_

"Maybe," Yoh tried to think of a way for her not to go home, "You can sleep over my house?"

"My step-dad won't let me sleep over a boy's house," Anna sniffed; it seemed as though she calmed down a bit. Her head was on his chest, "But maybe…" she looked directly up at him, "You can come over. We have a group project due soon, don't we?"

Yoh smiled, "Yeah! That might work!"

Anna glared at him.

"W-what?" Yoh was confused.

"If you tell _anyone_ about me crying," her eyes narrowed, "I'll beat the crap outta you!"

"A-ah, don't worry, I won't tell!" Yoh looked worried.

Anna gave a gentle smile; that was definitely something Yoh hadn't seen Anna do in long time. Then she put her head on his chest again; it was wet with her tears. She wrapped her arms around him and cuddled closer, "Let's just stay here for a little bit longer……"

"Sure," Yoh said softly as he looked at the lake and smiled. Yoh leaned against the tree trunk. He had a feeling Anna would fall asleep again. But before she did, he asked, "Say, Anna? What did you whisper to me on your mother's funeral?"

"I asked you not to leave me," she closed her eyes, "Don't give up on me."

Yoh's eyes widened, "I wouldn't do that, Anna."

"I'm happy," she said as she drifted off to sleep. Soon, Yoh did the same.

An annoying light suddenly hit Anna's eyes as she woke up. She moved a hand in front of her to block out the sun. She looked at the lake and jumped. The sky was a red-orange-ish-purple and the lake reflected it, "Yoh! Wake up!" Anna sat up, "It's sunset! I'm going to get in trouble!"

Yoh's eyes twitched and opened very slowly, "Agh," he said as the sun was in his eyes. Anna moved so that she was blocking the sun.

"I gotta go," she frowned.

"I'll take you home," he said as he got up. They grabbed their things and Anna put her sweater back on. Yoh had to admit that he felt better now that he knew what was wrong, but at the same time he felt worse because he didn't know what to do about it. He tried really hard to think of some way to help Anna. But he still had no idea of what he could do for her.

Once they reached Anna's house, he walked her to her door, something he also hadn't done in a long time. Anna knocked on the door and hoped her father wasn't home. Her brother Kosuke answered the door and said, "You're late."

"I know. Is dad home?"

"No, no yet," he smirked, "Lucky you. And maybe if you do my chores, I won't tell him you're late."

Anna glared.

"Don't give me that look, " he said glaring back at her, "What is this boy doing here?" He pointed to Yoh.

"He's my partner for a group project. And he needs to come over tomorrow."

"Peh…" he sighed and thought for a second, "Well if you do all of my chores, I could put in a good word for you……"

"Kosuke!" Anna yelled full of frustration.

"If you want him to come over and not get in trouble for being late, I suggest you start!" Kosuke said with a smug grin that Anna hated so much.

"See you tomorrow, Yoh," she looked sadly at him.

"Bye, Anna!" Yoh waved and Kosuke grabbed a hold of Anna's shoulder and pulled her into the house.

It was clear that Anna was unhappy. Yoh hoped that tomorrow things might change. He thought that if he was over, her father wouldn't beat her and everything would be alright. He walked home in deep thought and contemplated on whether or not he should tell anyone about what Anna's step-father was doing to her. Then he thought back to when Anna made him promise not to tell anyone, but was she just talking about not telling anyone she was crying, or was she talking about the whole thing in general? He didn't know what to do, and he hoped that he was making the right choice.

_Now I look back and I try to imagine what it would be like if I told someone about her father? Would things be different from right now? If I had told my mother or father, could they have done something to help? Or just make things worse? I still think back……should I have told someone?_

Yoh was doing his homework in his room with his twin Hao. Yoh was on the bed, _trying_ to do his homework, but was distracted. Hao was on the floor, frustrated with his math homework.

"…Hao…?"

"Ssh!" Hao was into his math homework, "8 x 8 is…"

"But, Hao…"

"SSH!"

"I need to ask you something!"

"Geez…!" Hao threw his pencil in the air in frustration, "What is it?"

"I need to ask you a question…"

"Well it better be about homework because if I don't turn this in, mom'll ground me!"

"N-no, it's not about homework, but it is important!"

Hao sighed, "Then hurry up and spit it out already!"

"I-if a friend is being," he struggled for a word to say without giving it away, "_bullied_, what do you do?"

"What kind of question is that?" he sat up to look at his brother, "Look if it's about earlier today with Anna, Taro didn't mean to hit Anna. We both know that that was an accident."

"W-who said I was talking about Anna?"

"Anna's your best friend. Who else are you talking about?"

"I just wanted to know just in case."

"Trust me, Yoh, Anna won't get bullied. Practically everyone's afraid of her."

"I know! I never said I was talking about Anna!"

"Oh? Did you guys get in a fight? Are you going to find another friend?" Hao looked at little happy.

"No! Hao!" Yoh was getting frustrated, "Just answer the question!"

"Hey," Hao's eyes narrowed, "Are you getting this attitude from Anna? Maybe you should find a new friend!"

"Hao," Yoh's eyes softened, "Can you please just answer the question?"

Hao crossed his arms, "What was it again?"

"What do you do if a friend is being bullied?" Yoh asked a little impatiently.

"Well," Hao thought for a second, "I guess I'd stick up for my friend."

"What if they're bigger and stronger?"

"I wouldn't care," Hao turned back to his homework, "If it's for my friends, I'd do almost anything."

_Those words stuck in my head. Hao probably had no idea how much those words would affect me. But even now, I try to live by those words. I figured out that friends were the most important things I've got right now, and they deserved my full attention and support._

"Thanks, Hao."

"Whatever," he said a little annoyed, "Now leave me alone."

_The next day was one that I'd __**never ever**__ forget. I'm sure Anna would never forget it either. This was just about the worst day in our entire 10 years of life; no, it __**was**__ the worst day in our entire lives. I never expected things to turn out the way it did._

_I came to school to see Anna there waiting for me. She smiled_, "You can come over."

"Really? He said yes?"

"Yeah, it just took a little convincing," _Then I noticed a new bandage on her cheek._

"A-Anna…"

"Don't worry," _she said_, "I'm fine."

_The rest of the school day was uneventful. It was boring and we couldn't wait until school got out. Though, I did have a nervous feeling that itched in the back of my head. And as much as I wanted to, I couldn't scratch it away. I think that Anna maybe had that same annoying itch._

_Soon school ended and I reminded Hao that I was going to Anna's house for the school project. He nodded and said he'd remind my parents. Anna and I walked to her house, we decided not to stop at our spot and continued to go. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. When we reached her house, I entered it; something I hadn't done in what felt like years. _

"Dad's friends are coming over tonight," Kosuke said indifferently.

"What?" Anna looked up in fear. Then she looked over back at Yoh then her step-brother, "He knows that Yoh's over, right?"

"You know how dad is. He doesn't care."

"C-come on," Anna grabbed Yoh's hand a little shakily as she lead him to her room.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Yoh asked as Anna opened the door to her room.

_It smelled like Strawberries and Champagne. And I was reminded of that time._

"Well, when my dad's friends come over, they tend to get drunk and they're crazy drunks," Anna looked down to her feet.

She was scared, and Yoh had never seen her like this before. He realized then and there that Anna was sensitive too and that if Yoh would cower away, then Anna wouldn't have any support. He decided that he would be brave, and instead of Anna protecting him, he'd step up and be a man; he'd protect her, "Don't worry Anna. It'll be okay."

Anna gave a slight nod, "Let's just stay in the room."

_After a few hours, Anna's step-father came home. He invited his friends over, and it wasn't long until they brought out the alcohol. Then, you can guess what came next: they got drunk. But it wasn't too bad because they weren't bothering us. Anna thought that things were going pretty well; we didn't bother them, and we weren't bothered by them. Everything was fine until Anna's oldest-step brother, Kyosuke, called Anna to get more beer._

"Oi, Anna," Kosuke said, standing outside of Anna's door, "Kyosuke's calling you."

"What is it?" She asked, still looking at her homework.

"He wants you to serve them more beer."

"Why can't you do it? I'm doing homework," Anna got sat up and glared at the door.

"Geez, Anna, quit being such a selfish little brat!" Kosuke opened the door, "Just do it!"

Anna gave a frustrated sigh as she got up, "I'll be right back Yoh."

Anna walked out of the door and Yoh looked worried. He looked at Kosuke who just had that ugly grin of his on his face and he slowly closed the door. Yoh worried. He didn't know whether he should've gone with her or not. But he decided to wait and see if she needed help.

_I should've gone after her. But Kosuke closed the door. I didn't know if Kosuke was holding the door closed or not, but I didn't want to bust the door down or make a big deal. I tried to make myself believe that Anna was doing something that was quick and she'll be back in no time, but I had this awful feeling in my stomach. Then I heard glass breaking and I swear I felt my heart in my throat. I got up; I had to see what was going on!_

"You little……" Anna's step-father slapped Anna and she fell on the floor, "You spilled the beer!"

"I-I didn't mean t—"

"Shut up!" He slapped her again, "Apologize to Ginji!"

"I-I'm sorry Ginji," she whispered.

"Louder!" he yelled, threatening to slap her again.

"I'm sorry!!"

"It's ok, Haijime," said the drunken Ginji, "As an apology she should come and sit on my lap. She might bring me good luck in our next poker game."

Anna slowly shook her head and backed up against the wall. Haijime inched closer to Anna, "C'mon, Anna. It's the least you could do for spilling beer all over him."

"No," she shook her head. She tried to back up, but she could back up no further, "He'll touch me again!"

"Are you disagreeing with your father? Brat!"

_I ran in the room to see Anna's father beating her and calling her bad names. I started to shake, wasn't anyone going to help her? I looked at Kosuke. He looked away from the scene and leaned against the frame of the doorway. Then I looked at Kyosuke and he was just looking his cards and attempting to cheat, while taking several sips of his father's alcohol. It was obvious that I couldn't rely on them._

_My hands formed into a fist and I clenched them hard. I gritted my teeth, I couldn't take it. Then I heard Anna scream, _"Stoppit daddy! Yoh's here!"_ My eyes widened; she didn't want me to see. Anna's father, no, he didn't have the right to be called father, Haijime kept beating her. She cried for him to stop, but he only beat harder. Tears were about to form in my eyes, what should I do? Then my brother's words echoed in my head:_

"If it's for my friends, I'd do almost anything for them."

_That was it. I had to protect Anna. I didn't want to see Anna hurt anymore. I couldn't stand idly by. It was time to be brave. _

_I ran in front of Anna_, "STOP!"

"Move boy," Haijime spat out with a hard glare.

"Yoh…" Anna cried out. Her bangs were spread out all over her face. She was in the fetal position and her eyes were wide. Her cheeks were red and her lips might've been slightly swollen.

"No…" Yoh stood firmly.

"What?" Haijime gritted his teeth.

"No!"

"How dare you, you little bastard!" Haijime punched Yoh in the face, "You don't talk to me like that!"

Yoh fell back a bit and Haijime pushed Yoh against the wall. Yoh slid down and was now next to Anna. Haijime then slapped Anna, "You little slut! 'Group project' my ass! How long have you two been in the room? Since before I got home!"

Then Haijime kicked her and she squeaked. Anna was pretty much rolled up in a ball, hoping that it would hurt less. She looked down and attempted to protect her head. Soon Anna felt warm hands around her and body heat. She shakily looked up, "Yoh!" There Yoh was, acting pretty much as a whole body shield.

_Then Haijime started beating me, but I tried to take the pain. I thought it was impossible for someone to hit harder than Anna, but this man did. It hurt like hell, but it was for Anna, so I would take it. I wouldn't complain. As long as Anna was okay, I would take this beating for her. I looked down at her; she looked at me and cried, _"Yoh…"_ Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. Her eyes were starting to turn red. She just wanted this to stop; I did too, but deep down we knew it wouldn't. _

"Yoh…please…stop." _No, she wasn't crying because of the pain; she was crying for me. Her pained voice and tears just made me want to protect her more. I gave her a smile and said,_ "I'm gunna protect you. Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

_Anna started to cry more,_ "Yoh! You idiot! Stop! I'm not worth all this pain!"

_Then I remember my vision getting blurry. I leaned my forehead on top of her head and said,_ "Remember what you whispered?"

_Anna cried,_ "No…Yoh, forget it…"

"I won't give up on you," _I could hardy see anymore,_ "I'm not leaving you."

"Why?" _she cried._

"Because you _are_ worth it……" _my voice started to slur and soon everything went black. _

"Yoh?" Anna cried, "Yoh?? Yoh!!" Then she felt Yoh's body go limp, "YOH!!"

_I had passed out. I don't know what happened to Anna after that. I woke up on the side of the dirt road. It was dark when I opened my eyes. And since it was Hick Town there were hardly any street lights_.

Yoh opened his eyes and tired to sit up, but screamed in pain instead. It seemed like every inch in his body was in pain. It took a couple of tries, but Yoh finally was able to sit up. He looked around. He had to squint to see since it was so dark. From far away he saw a house, it was Anna's. He was surprised to find out that he was far away from it. All the lights in her house were off. He then wondered how long he'd been out for. He also wondered if Anna was okay, but there was no way he could go back there at this time of night. He figured that the best thing to do would be to go home. He was glad that he didn't live _too_ far away from Anna.

Every step was pure agony for Yoh, but he was determined to make it. He was willing to bet that he didn't look too good, and that it was waaaay past his expected time to be home. Finally Yoh saw the shape of his house and the house lights on. He smiled, "Almost there!"

"YOH!" He could hear his brother yelling for him, "WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

"H-here!" Yoh's voice was caught in his throat. Hao was outside with a flashlight looking for him. Just how late was it? Yoh moved as fast as his sore legs could take him until Hao's flashlight reached him.

"Yoh?" Hao was a little unsure.

"Y-yeah," Yoh stepped slightly forward. How was he going to explain all his bruises?

"Where the heck have you been……?" Hao trailed off when he saw Yoh clearly, "What the heck happened to you?!"

"Do I really look that bad?" Yoh sheepishly laughed, "If I look as much as it hurts then I must look terrible!"

"Yoh! Why are you laughing? You look awful!"

"R-really?" Yoh was really bad at lying and he wasn't sure he could pull this off.

"Geez…what happened?" Hao touched Yoh's face and he jumped back, "C'mon let's tell mom you're home. She's been worried sick!"

"W-where's dad?" That's who Yoh was most afraid of. Yoh figured that shouldn't tell of Anna's father, at least not yet, not until he knew that Anna was okay. He feared that if he told he might make things worse. But the only thing is that Yoh wasn't good at lying. He usually always told the truth, especially to his father. If he ever lied, he'd end up cracking and telling the truth later on. So he tried thinking of it like he was covering up for Anna and then later on telling the truth.

"Dad's gone out looking for you!" Yoh felt a little relieved, but not entirely. At least he didn't have to lie in front of his father, "He went to Anna's house not to long ago, but he said all the lights were off, so he went to look for you elsewhere. Where were you?"

"Hao" Their mother stuck her head out the front door; her face was stained with tears, "Has Yoh come back yet?"

"Yeah, he's right here!" Hao said bringing Yoh into the light.

"Oh Thank God! Asakura Yoh where have you—" She stopped, "W-what happened?"

Yoh's mother, Keiko, ran and hugged her son, practically crying again, "Tell me, what happened?" She carried him into the house while he gave out little soft cries of pain, "Why are you all beaten up?!"

Now in the light, they saw Yoh better. Yoh's face was beaten and battered. He had a dried blood stain coming from his lip. He had dozens of dried, almost brown looking blood stains all around. He had black eyes and it seemed his lips were swollen. His cheeks were red and purplish. It was hard to tell what his skin color was. All in all, he looked horrible; it was like he was a zombie.

"I…well…you see…" Yoh tried to think of a quick lie, "I was robbed. On the way home from Anna's, a man came up to me and asked for my money, but I refused. So he beat me up until I gave him my money. But he didn't stop, and I passed out."

"Aww…my poor baby," Keiko hugged her son and kissed his head, "It must've horrible! But next time that happens, please, just give him the money, okay?"

It was Yoh's first major lie, and he didn't like the feel of it at all. His stomach felt like it dropped to the floor and he couldn't believe the lie that just came out of his mouth. He sadly looked down; he didn't know how long he would be able to keep it up.

Then Yoh's father, Mikihisa, came home, "Honey, I'm sorry, it's as dark as hell out there and I couldn't find—" Mikihisa's tone changed, "Yoh?! What in the hell happened?! It's past midnight! And why are you all beaten up?!"

"Calm down, Miki," Keiko explained, "It's horrible! I'll tell you what happened…"

Yoh looked guiltily down. He didn't want to hear his lie again, so he tuned it out. After his mother was done he asked, "C-can I go to bed?"

"Oh, sure honey! Hao, can you please help him to bed?"

Hao nodded and helped Yoh walk to his bedroom.

"Oh, wait," Mikihisa said, "One more thing: What did he look like, son?"

Yoh's eyes widened; he didn't think of that part. He so badly wanted to describe Haijime, but he knew he couldn't. He looked down, "…I don't remember. After he beat me, I passed out." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie.

"Oh, I see," said the father, "If you ever remember, please tell us so we can have that man arrested."

"Goodnight, my boys," Keiko kissed her sons' forehead.

"Goodnight, boys," Mikihisa ruffled their hairs, "Yoh, we'll take you to the doctor's tomorrow morning."

Yoh nodded and Hao helped Yoh to their room. Once in their room, Yoh laid on his bed and groaned. His face was buried in the pillow and he was so tired and sore that he just wanted to sleep.

"When did it happen, Yoh? I mean how long were you passed out for?" Hao sat on his own bed.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Yoh turned his head opposite from Hao. He didn't want to lie anymore, "I'm tired."

"C'mon, Yoh, answer my question," Hao sat there on his bed, waiting for the answer.

"I told you though," Yoh turned on his side; his back was facing Hao, "On the way home from Anna's, I don't know how long I was passed out for. I don't remember the time I started walking home. Now I wanna go to bed, Goodnight."

_The reason why I wanted to end the conversation so quickly was because I wasn't good at lying and Hao was smart. He could probably see through my lies. Especially since I wasn't very good at telling them. He would figure me out in a second._

"Yoh……did you know this was going to happen?"

_I thought_ "Oh no! He figured me out!" _But I guess some of Anna's trickiness rubbed off on me. I didn't respond, but instead I pretended I was asleep._

"I mean 'cuz you were asking me about someone being bullied and now look at you! You're all beaten up! But I don't get it…who was being bullied? Anna can take care herself. Or were you sticking up for someone else?"

Yoh didn't answer; he was "asleep."

"Yoh?"

Yoh started to breathe hard as if he was asleep.

"Ugh, fine then," Hao laid in his bed, "Be like that. Goodnight Yoh."

Yoh had to catch himself because he almost said "Goodnight" back. If Yoh would've said that, he would've been caught! Then Hao would ask him more questions. Yoh closed his eyes. He wanted to stop worrying about everything. He just wanted to sleep. So that's exactly what he did.

_The next day I went to the doctors. But before I went, I asked Hao to see if Anna was there. Even though I hoped that she didn't go to school only because she was as injured as I was, she must be in a pretty bad state. I secretly wished that I would see her at the doctors, but if I did, and she was beaten up too…how would my mom react? I could always tell her that Anna was there with me, but then she'd get suspicious and ask me why I didn't tell her that before. Either way, it seemed like a bad idea to see Anna. _

_When I arrived at the doctors, I was surprised to find that my left arm was broken and that I had to be careful because my ribs were bruised and on the verge of breaking too. I figured that that was from Haijime's kicking. I also think that after I passed out that Haijime kept beating me, probably not realizing that I passed out._

_My mother found it amazing that I had hardy cried. Yes it hurt; it hurt more than anything I had ever experienced before. But it wasn't just physical pain, but emotional too. This whole thing had changed me. I decided to be braver, and not so scared. To not hesitate to do what's right. I was going to help Anna, because she was my friend, and that's what's right. _

_After the doctors, I went home and rested. I was very bored, but my mom wouldn't let me do anything. I lay on the couch and watched TV until Hao had come home. When he did, I asked if Anna had gone to school._

"Nope, she wasn't there," Hao put in backpack down on the floor and sat next to Yoh on the couch, "Why are you so worried about her anyway? You're the one who's beaten up."

"W-well, I've never been absent from school before," Yoh explained, "She's probably worried about me."

"Yoh," Hao looked at him, "Are you hiding something? You're acting very strange."

"Nothing's wrong! I just have friendly concern!"

"She should be worried about you! Not the other way around!"

"She doesn't know I'm like this!" Yoh shouted back.

"Geez…" Hao rolled his eyes and got off the couch. He started to mumble so Yoh couldn't hear, "You and your stupid crush! Sure she's cute, but she's also mean! Why do you like her?"

Hao just walked away angrily while still mumbling, but Yoh couldn't hear it, so he just stayed on the couch.

_I remember staying home from school for the whole rest of the week. Every day I would ask Hao if Anna had gone to school, but still he'd answer no. Finally on Monday I convinced my mother to let me go to school. She disagreed, but I pretended that it hardly hurt anymore and that it would be no problem if I went back. She gave a worried face, but let me go anyway. I was happy because I thought that I would finally be able to see Anna again. _

Yoh didn't even think about how people would react to how he looked. When he arrived everyone stared at him and asked him questions. He became nervous; he'd have to lie all over again. Hao had told them about his injuries, but now everyone was asking "What was it like?" or "Did you cry?" or "Where you scared?"

By the end of the day, Yoh had lied more than he ever had before. He felt really bad and what made things worse was that Anna wasn't even there at school. He started to wonder just how injured Anna was. He got scared, what if she was worse off then before? He was exhausted from today's events, but he decided to go to Anna's house anyway.

Yoh was still in pain, but he decided to ignore it as he began his trek to Anna's house. He hoped that Haijime wasn't home. He should be at work, and Kyosuke should be at school or helping his father. And Kosuke he wasn't sure of. Actually, he didn't really care. He had become stronger, or so he believed. If Anna was still in trouble, he'd still help her, even though he was still really injured from last time. He just wanted to see Anna.

Yoh reached the house. He looked at it. It looked empty and unkempt. The grass seemed tall; it practically reached passed the steps to the porch. He got an eerie feeling as the wind blew the grass. It swayed with the wind and made the screen door open and close; making an annoying creaking. Yoh looked up at the sky; it was gloomy and gray, "It smells like rain……" he whispered softly.

He approached the door. By the silence, he suspected that Anna was home alone. Or at least _someone_ had to be home alone. He knocked. There was no answer. He decided to knock again, "Anna?" After no response, he knocked again, but louder and harder. He knocked with so much force that the door opened. The house was dark, and he felt very uncomfortable, "Anna?"

No one. He ran in. No one. He ran to her room. No one. He looked in every room in the house, still: no one. Where was everyone? He expected at least one person to be home! If Anna wasn't at school, then where was she? Yoh started to panic. He started breathing fast. He wanted to see if Haijime's truck was outside. Haijime hardly ever used that old truck of his, he would probably only use it if they moved out.

In a panicked state, Yoh ran outside. He was careless as he jumped off the porch. He landed in the tall grass and tried to get into a position to see his truck. On his way, Yoh tripped over something. He landed on his left side. It hurt like hell. Yoh grunted in pain, what was it he tripped over? He carefully sat up to see what it was. It was a small sign that couldn't be seen through the tall grass. Yoh's eyes widened as he froze. He read the words on the sign: "For Sale."

"F-for sale?" Yoh's eyes started to water as he realized what those words meant, "No!" He ran into the house, "No! No! No! No!!" He ran into Anna's room. It smelled like Strawberries and Champagne, "Anna?!" He looked for any sign that she was still living here; there was none. He ran into the dinning room next; the place where Haijime's friends would come over and play poker. He repeatedly said things like, "No!" or "She can't be gone!"

He sat on the ground; his arm still throbbed from the previous fall. He looked down at the floor. This was the same spot that he was at when he was beaten. There were little spots of dried blood on the floor. He traced his fingers over them and quietly asked if they were his or hers. Then he wondered if there were more spots like this in any other room of the house.

Yoh fell back and lay on the floor. He sniffed; he sniffed again. He sniffed until he couldn't hold it in anymore. He cried. No, it wasn't a soft cry, but a loud, hard cry. A type of cry that leaves you breathless and end up hiccupping for afterwards. This was the first time that Yoh had ever cried this hard. Nothing had really made him cry to the point where sounds were coming out of his mouth and it was hard to breathe.

_I was always a happy, kinda laid-back kid and I never cried like this. If I cried, it was soft and tears just ran down my face. Crying like this was unknown to me, and I didn't like it one bit. I was screaming at the top on my lungs and I couldn't control it. _

Yoh breathed hard. He couldn't keep up. His breathing was shaky, but the crying didn't stop. He cried because it hurt_. Everything_ hurt. He cried because his injuries hurt; that fall back there did some real damage. He cried because Anna wasn't there. He cried because he would probably never see his best friend again. He was scared to think about it, but it was a possibility…what if…if Anna died? Or what if she was going to? What if that's the reason why Haijime had left so suddenly!

Yoh cried more just thinking about that. Life would definitely not be the same without Anna. But what could he do? Anna was gone. Haijime probably moved because he was afraid that Yoh would tell. But Yoh didn't tell! He wanted to make sure Anna was okay first! "WE'RE ONLY 10!!" Yoh shouted between labored breaths, "We're only 10! Why? Why'd this happen? …we're only 10…" Soon he would turn 11, but Anna wouldn't be there to see it. They were so small, but they were exposed to the dangers of abuse and alcohol. …But they were so young.

"It isn't fair…" Yoh got up and ran outside and yelled at the gloomy gray sky, "IT ISN'T FAIR!"

_All any kid could wish for is a happy, normal and innocent childhood. Why? Why were we denied that wish? What did we do wrong?!_

"IT'S NOT FAIR!!" Rain started to pour down. The drops hit Yoh and he didn't know which were tears and which were rain. He stood there, yelling at the rain, like all this was the rain's fault.

After all the violent tears were gone, Yoh started to walk home. His face was void of all emotions, but the tears were still slightly streaming down his face. He dragged his feet and the rain just kept coming. Everything hurt; he wanted it to stop, but it wouldn't.

Finally he reached home and there was Keiko waiting for his return, "Yoh, you're late. You know that in your condition you're not allowed to stay out late!"

He looked up at his mom with his expressionless face. His face was stained with tears.

"H-honey," Keiko bent down to look at him, "What's wrong?"

"You're right mom," Yoh walked passed her and lay down on the couch, "I'm not ready to go back."

"Yoh, honey, are you crying?"

"Y-yes," he choked on his words.

"Awww…why?" She went over to comfort him.

Yoh's eyebrows furrowed and his lips started to shake. He started to cry again, "Because it hurts."

Keiko hugged her son gently and whispered words of comfort in his ear like, "It's alright, honey."

No. It wasn't alright.

_It was hard for me to get over it. I didn't want to return to school. I didn't want to explain why Anna wasn't there anymore. But I had to go back, and I had to lie again. I slowly found new friends, but there were none like Anna. I eventually told Hao about the real reason Anna wasn't there anymore. He got too smart for me, and I had to spill. But I didn't tell Hao that Anna had cried, so technically I kept my promise. _

_About a year later, when I turned 12, we moved out of Hick Town. The town was bittersweet. It was the town I met and left Anna. I wanted to remember Anna always, but forget the terrible feelings that I felt when everything unfolded. But I was stupid; I could never forget those things. Every time I smell _"Strawberries and Champagne"_ I think of her, and how I felt. That too, was bittersweet. _

_It's been nearly 8 years since that time. I am now 18 and living in a town called Funbari. I haven't seen or heard from Anna since. I don't think I ever will. I don't even know if she's alive or not. At that time, I didn't want to live without Anna, but here I am. My so-called "most important years of my teenage life" was lived without her. I never imagined that. I never really imagined that we'd separate; we both thought that we would be best friends forever. I still miss and worry about her. I don't know if she's alive, but I've decided not to jump to conclusions. There's always a chance. I've also decided to keep a close watch over my friends. And if I ever were to see her again, I'd make sure she's happy or at least living a better life than before. _

_--Anna, wherever you are, I hope you're happy. _

**Well, that is the end of the prologue, ladies and gents!** Whoo, long, huh? Yeah, 30 pages! I really hoped you enjoyed it. **Any comments, questions, suggestions,** _gulp,_ _**complaints**_? **Please review, I always feel inspired when you do. I might be able to update faster! I always get so excited and start up right away when you do, so please, review! **

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** hmmm, let's see. **A week, more or less. No less then Friday, no more than Wednesday (of next week) **does that sound good? I don't think Chapter 1 will be nearly as long, no, no, no, definitely not. So it shouldn't take too long. Bare with me please :)

**Oh, and do any of you know how to say "Welcome home" in Japanese? If you do, please let me know what it is. Thank You.**

**Thanks so much for reading! It means a lot to me!! Stay tuned for chapter 1…!!**


	2. Strawberries and Champagne

Hello again

Hello again! Happy to hear from me? Goodness, I hope so. My sister's been raggin' on me about how long the prologue is. So, again, **I'm sorry the prologue was so long. I didn't think it would be, but I couldn't think of anything to edit out! But don't worry, Chapter 1 is not as long. : ) Oh, and the beginning maybe a little slow, but please bare with me.**

And before I start up again, I'd like to **THANK YOU ALL for reviewing. It means so much to me!! And thank you so much Kat-san for letting me know how to say "Welcome Home" in Japanese! It will come in handy in the future! And Jamesters, thanks reading my latest work. Your kind comments help me get things done faster.** Haha, cause we know I'm a procrastinator at heart.

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 1:

"Strawberries and Champagne"

_It's nearly 8 years. It's been a long time. She'd be about 17 right now. This meant, if things didn't work out for her, she'd still be in Haijime's care. That is…if she was alive… No! I mustn't think like that! She's probably doing fine; she probably got away from that crazy man and her brothers by now. I was concerned for Anna. I didn't want to admit it, but I could live my life without her. I didn't want to, but the truth is, I'm living now without her. If I could have one wish, it would be to see her, to make sure she was happy. Sure I'd want her to stay, and we'd be best friends again. But if she didn't want that, then I guess I'd have to let her go. I figured that she would be mad with me, because I butted in, and she probably would blame herself for me being beaten. But I didn't regret it, no, not one bit._

Yoh looked at the papers on his desk. He sighed. He would probably be very busy today, but he was somewhat used to it. He was manager now, and he knew that that would come with certain responsibilities. Well, he was not only the manager, but now that he's 18, he was the soon-to-be owner.

_I worked at an inn and onsen (_hot spring_) that my grandparents owned. Part of the reason why we moved to Funbari was to be closer to them. I had worked there ever since I was 16 and loved it. I got to meet new people and it gave me something to do. I was pretty strong, because after that whole ordeal when I was younger, my mom put Hao and me in a self-defense class (just in case I was to be "robbed" again). And I only used it just in case my friends were in danger, which wasn't very often at all. So I used to do the "heavy-duty" work and eventually got moved up to working the front desk and stuff. _

_Recently, though, my grandparents have decided to retire, but the "En Onsen" (which is what the inn was called) was so popular, they couldn't. So I offered to take over once I turned 18. They were a little skeptical at first, but I told them that I never really planned to go to college anyway._

"Hey, Yoh!" Yoh's thoughts were interrupted by a short guy and a blue-haired guy.

"What's up, Manta, Horo-Horo?" Yoh waved to his friends as they walked up to the front desk.

"We're gunna take our break now," the short one, Manta, said.

"But don't worry," Horo-Horo, the blue-haired guy, responded, "Ren, Lyserg, Tamao, and Pirika are still on the job."

"And Hao?" Yoh asked about his brother.

"He decided to break, but he should be back soon," Manta said while leaning on the desk.

"Argh!" Yoh growled in frustration, "I wish Hao would tell me when he's taking his break!"

"Don't worry, we'll come back soon and you can have your break," Horo-Horo smiled.

"Thanks," Yoh waved as his two best friends walked out of the front door.

Yoh met most of his current friends in Funbari. All except for Tamao, who was a friend of the Asakura family.

_Tamao was a shy, pink-haired girl who also lived in Hick Town. But she moved to Funbari after she graduated from 8__th__ grade. She said that there were hardly any people living in Hick Town when she left. I wasn't surprised though. That place was so old fashioned and hardly any people had farmland anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if no one lived there anymore. I wonder if I went back, would it be empty?_

_Most of my other friends didn't live in Funbari, but later came to it, like me. Manta, though, was the only one who lived in Funbari his whole life. He was the first friend that I had met in Funbari, and unfortunately for him, he's always been short. When we first met, he was 4'll" and now he's about 5'2". Not so bad, but still pretty short for a guy. All the rest of us are about 5'7" or taller, but who knows, maybe Manta will grow some more? And though he was made fun of because of his shortness, he was not to be taken lightly when it came to smarts. He was the top in our class, and he was somewhat a geek. He'd get loud and panicked over stupid things, and we'd all laugh. But all in all, he was a good friend._

_Horo-Horo was a blue-haired boy who actually came from the mountains. I met him and his sister Pirika (who also had blue hair) when I was 13. I didn't know much about him, except that he was obsessed with snowboarding. I didn't know if Pirika was too because I didn't talk to her as much as I do with Horo-Horo. Pirika was best friends with Tamao and was a year younger than us. Pirika and Horo-Horo would get into little fights like brothers and sisters usually do and she usually got embarrassed by him. Sorry to say, but Horo-Horo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But that was perfectly fine, because I wasn't either. If we were going to fail, then we were going to do it together. Most of our friends were smart, so having a friend like Horo-Horo made me feel slightly better. _

_Ren was another close friend of ours, but he had a temper. He was Chinese, so he definitely wasn't from Funbari. He had black hair with a spike coming from the back. His personality was like Anna's though: smart, headstrong, hated to be wrong, and hated when he showed his weaknesses. He always got in a fight with Horo-Horo, but they were still friends through it all. And I think that Pirika likes Ren, so that caused even more fights. Their relationship kinda reminded me of mine and Anna's relationship. Though, Anna and I never fought that much. _

_And lastly: Hao. Hao was still really smart and grew up to be the "handsome" one (as the girls say). Yes, my dear twin brother had become somewhat of a ladies' man. His hair was way longer than mine and somehow the girls found that "sexy". His face was more "manly" while mine was still just a tad bit boyish looking I guess. The girls would say that Hao was the handsome one, while I was the cute one. Some of his girlfriends would tell me,_ "You're sooo lucky to share some of the same genes as him!" _I would always roll my eyes at that. I didn't really care; the only thing I didn't like was that in front of the ladies, he'd constantly call me_ "little brother". _And also, to impress the ladies, he'd say that he was the "_heir_" to the En Onsen and Inn, when actually it was me who did all the work and who was going to own this place. _

_I was glad to say that all the people who worked here were my friends. There were other people that worked here, but I didn't know them as well as Tamao, Manta, Horo-Horo, Pirika, Ren and my brother. Most of these people only worked here part-time anyway. But that was okay. I needed all the help I could get. It was hard to get workers because not only was it an inn, but it was an Onsen too. Some people didn't just work as one thing either. Sometimes we'd switch off from working the front desk to clean up duty. We needed to be prepared for anything. We always get a lot of customers wanting to try the Onsen. The style of it was traditional Japanese with the sliding doors and such. _

Yoh looked down. He was extremely bored and wanted to go on his break soon. Once Hao came back, he was sure that he'd be able to go. Just then a nostalgic sensation came over Yoh. He smelt it, Strawberries and Champagne. He looked up, where was it coming from? He felt his stomach drop as he remembered what the smell reminded him of.

"Hello, Mr. Yoh!"

"Huh?" Yoh looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of him, "Oh, Hello Julie-san."

The woman, "Julie", smiled. She looked about Yoh's age, maybe a little bit older. Her hair was straight and her eyes were blue, she was not from Japan. She seemed to be American, "You could stop with the honorific, Mr. Yoh."

"You can too, Julie-sa—I mean Julie," Yoh smiled, "You make me sound so old when you say "Mister"."

Julie noticed Yoh's face seemed pale and he looked a bit sad, "Mister—er, sorry, I mean Yoh, are you all right?"

"Um, yeah," Yoh put on a smile that was obviously fake. He couldn't help it, memories and flashbacks were rushing into his mind, "I-Is it you that smells so lovely?"

"Oh, why yes, it's my perfume," Julie took out a bottle that contained some kind of pink substance, "Strawberries and Champagne."

"O-Oh, I see…"

"Is it making you nauseous?" Julie looked concerned.

Yoh didn't know what to say. He didn't want to insult her, and the perfume wasn't bad, it was just making him feel…weird. He couldn't describe it. It made him feel sad and angry. It made him think of Anna. And it reminded him of that time that he had the beating of a lifetime. All those things combined somehow made him a little nauseous. He didn't want to. He loved that scent. But seeing this woman, Julie, wearing it and smelling it didn't sit right in his stomach, "Um, we-well, not exactly…"

"Ah, Miss Julie!"

Julie turned to the person who had called her name, "Ah, Hao!"

"Yoh," Hao walked to the front desk, "You can take your break now."

"Oh, thanks," Yoh stepped out from the front desk, "Excuse me. I'm really sorry about all this, Julie."

"Oh, no," Julie shook her head, "I'm really sorry."

"No, no," Yoh gave a weak smile, "No, I think just being cooped up in this place for so many hours is getting to me." And then Yoh walked out the door.

"Mr. Hao," Julie started.

"Julie, please," Hao put a hand up, "Just Hao will do fine."

"Um, Hao," Julie had trouble asking what she wanted to ask, "Do I smell funny?"

Hao laughed, "No, you smell lovely!"

"Th-then why was Yoh…?"

"Yoh's weird," Hao put an arm on Julie's shoulder, trying to comfort her, "Believe me, he loves that scent, but…" he tried to think of an excuse, "But sometimes if he smells it too much, he gets kinda sick of it…if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I see," Julie nodded, "So I suppose I should change my perfume then?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble…"

"Oh, no problem," she smiled, "I wouldn't want to get Mr. Yoh sick."

"That's the spirit," Hao smiled, "Thank you."

Julie smiled, "Anything for Mr. Yoh."

Yoh stepped outside and roamed the streets of Funbari for a little bit. He breathed in the fresh air. He un-tucked his shirt and unbuttoned it. He just let the wind hit him as he walked. The feelings that he just experienced slowly started to fade away. He wondered if he had insulted Julie back there. He loved the scent, but he felt that it just didn't…_suit_ her. The only one Yoh could imagine having that scent is Anna. Julie may have blonde hair, but she was no Anna. Julie was a sweet foreigner while Anna was a tough resident. Yoh sat down on a bench and leaned his head back.

_I couldn't stop thinking about Anna. The scent was fresh in my mind and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. It was like she haunted my mind. No, I wouldn't use the word haunt…but, she roamed there, and wouldn't leave for some time. I _could_ live without her, I just didn't _want_ to. The urge to see her was constantly rising, but I doubt that would happen anytime soon. I sighed as I closed my eyes. I saw her crying; she was at the funeral, clinging to me and whispering. Then I saw her and Haijime. I opened my eyes; I didn't want to see that. _

Yoh got up as he looked at his watch. He didn't have much break time left. He spent most of it walking around when he should've spent it eating or something. He decided he'd pick up a little snack on his way back to the Inn. He buttoned his shirt back up and neatly tucked it into his black uniform pants.

The rest of the day was uneventful and was like the others. By the end of the day, Yoh had a feeling of discontent. For some reason, he felt a little empty. This was normal, well, most of the time. He lied in his bed and stared at the ceiling. The scent was still somewhat bugging him. He decided to sleep it off as he closed his eyes. It took him a while to fall asleep as it usually did. It may have been an hour until he finally was able to fall asleep. The last thing he thought of was seeing Anna again. Then he slowly drifted off into sleep.

The next day started the same way as it did yesterday. Yoh worked all morning and then later on it was reported that Hao, yet again, took another break without Yoh's consent. And once again, Julie visited Yoh, "Hello, Yoh!"

"Ah, hello Julie!" Yoh was expecting to smell Strawberries and Champagne, but instead smelt something different.

"I changed my perfume," Julie smiled and pulled out a bottle, this time filled with a purple substance, "It's called "Love Spell"!"

"Oh, Julie, you didn't have to do that," Yoh gave a somewhat sad smile.

"Don't worry, this is one of my favorite perfumes," Julie smiled, "And besides, Hao explained it to me."

Yoh lifted an eyebrow, "He did?"

"Yes, he said that you love Strawberries and Champagne, but if you smell too much of it, you get sick."

"Oh," Yoh laughed nervously, "Right."

"Well, Yoh," Julie smiled, "I guess I'll be off. I'll see you later."

Yoh smiled, "Ja ne."

"Ja ne!" she repeated and left.

Yoh smiled and went back to his work. He was glad to have such a nice girl staying at his Inn.

He heard the front (main) door open. He was too into his work and didn't want to look up so he just recited what he usually did when a customer entered, "Welcome to the En Onsen and Inn, how may I help you?"

His eyes widened as he smelt the oh-so-familiar smell of Strawberries and Champagne, "Give me the cheapest room you got."

His eyes were as wide as they can be when he heard the customer's voice. Yoh looked up and stared at the girl in front of him. She looked about as old as him (or younger) with shoulder-length blonde hair. She was wearing a red beanie and a long beige jacket with black boots. She was looking the other way. But she looked and sounded so much like…

"Anna……?"

The girl's attention was caught as she slowly turned towards Yoh with her eyes wide open.

_Those brown eyes…it's gotta be her!!_ "Anna!"

She backed away slowly; still wide-eyed, and then looked down. She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. She turned around and exited quickly.

Yoh looked confused, "Why is she running away?"

He wanted to go after her, but he couldn't just leave his post. He struggled upon thinking on what he should do. Just then Hao entered, "Yoh……was that……Anna?"

If Hao saw it, then it had to be true. No way they could _both_ be wrong! And there was just no way he was going to let Anna get away. Yoh jumped over his desk and tried to follow Anna, "Hao take over for a bit! Consider this my break!"

Yoh exited and looked around to see which path she took. Why did the streets have to be crowded today?! Then he looked toward his right and saw her red beanie, "Anna!"

He tried to squeeze through the crowd to catch up to her. It was surprising that Anna could get through this big crowd, but surprising people is sometimes what Anna does best. Finally Yoh caught up with her, "Anna! Please wait! Stop walking so fast!"

Anna stopped. Her back was facing him as she slowly said, "A-sa-ku-ra."

She turned around and her eyes seemed so blank, so…colorless, emotionless, expressionless. _Everything_ about her seemed emotionless and expressionless. Even her next few words were emotionless and expressionless, but _not_ meaningless:

"I thought you were dead."

Yoh froze. _She_ thought _he _was dead? He thought the exact opposite! Why? Why did she think he was dead? He had a confused look on his face while he tried to think of what he could say.

"I'm glad you're alive," then she turned around and slowly started to walk away, "Excuse me."

"Wait, Anna!" She stopped, and he still didn't know what to say. He hadn't imagined their reuniting to be like this.

She turned towards him, "…Well, Asakura…?" She said as if waiting for him to continue speaking.

He really couldn't think of anything to say. His mind went blank and he was filled with the scent of Strawberries and Champagne. It was like the scent was cutting off his sanity. He just couldn't believe that Anna was here. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to start.

"It's just…" he started and she looked a bit impatient, "You want a place to stay, right? I own the En Onsen and Inn. I can give you a good deal." Yoh was disappointed to hear that that was the only thing he could think of to say to her.

Anna looked down and started to think. She looked up and said, "Alright."

Yoh smiled, "Great." Not now, but when he had time, he'd like to talk with Anna and find out what's been going on in the last 7 (nearly 8) years. Anna slowly started to follow Yoh back to the Inn. Not once did she look at him. Yoh frowned; no, this was not at all how he had planned it. It felt like Yoh was walking a complete stranger back to the Inn. He also thought back to when she called him "Asakura". Sure she's called him that before, but not usually. She usually called him by his first name because of Hao. If she called Yoh "Asakura", then Yoh and Hao would get confused. She didn't forget his name…did she? Yoh inwardly shook his head, there's no way she could've forgotten… right?

Once they reached the Inn, Yoh opened the door for her. She walked in and was greeted by Hao, "Hey, so it _was_ Anna!"

"Ah, it's the _other_ Asakura," she shifted her eyes towards Hao.

"Well, if it isn't the Kyoyama girl," Yoh rolled his eyes. He knew that look in Hao's eyes and that smirk on Hao's face all too well, "You've definitely grown more _attractive_ these past several years."

Yoh didn't disagree with Hao's statement, but he didn't like how his brother was hitting on the girl he used to fight with. Hao was talking to Anna as if he and she were best buds.

"Well I wish I could say the same for you. What's with your hair?" Anna asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"What?" Hao sounded a little insulted, "I'll have you know that the ladies see it as sexy!"

"Tch. If _the ladies_ don't see you as a girl first. If I were to look at you from behind, I'd think you were a girl."

"What? No way!" Hao argued.

Yoh frowned. What was going on? Why was Anna talking more to Hao than she was with him? He could understand why Anna was mad at him, but she didn't have to ignore his presence. This was not going as planned at all.

"Hao," Yoh interrupted, "Can you give me the key to room 107?"

"Sure," Hao handed Yoh the key and turned back to Anna, "You're just jealous because my hair's longer than yours."

"As a man, you shouldn't be proud of that," Anna simply responded.

"Argh! Anna! You're still the smart-ass you were years ago!"

"Worse, Asakura," she said to Hao and the turned to Yoh, "So, Where's my room?"

"Follow me," Yoh said as he guided Anna down a long hallway to room 107, "Here's the key."

She took the key and unlocked the room. She entered and put her bag down.

"Breakfast is from 6 to 9, lunch is from 11:30 to 1 and dinner is from 5:30 to 8:30, 'kay?"

"Got it," she said as she looked around the room.

"Anna…is that the only bag you have?" Yoh asked as he saw her lone duffle bag on the floor.

"Is that a problem?" she asked in an annoyed voice. Well, at least she has expression in her voice.

"N-no, just wondering." He said a little nervously and she gave a slight nod and slid the door closed.

Yoh stood outside of her door. His eyebrows furrowed and he was utterly confused. She was acting like she did years ago when her mother died. He knew nothing about what happened to Anna over the past few years, but it seemed as though she didn't want him to know. He wanted to talk to her, like he did last time, but this time was different though, he didn't know how to approach her. He couldn't just bring it up, especially if it was hard for her to talk about it.

Yoh backed away from the door and walked slowly back to the front desk. He decided that he'd give her some time. It was still a shock to him that today, of all days, to see Anna again. Maybe Anna was just tired. Yoh smiled; he still couldn't believe it, Anna was back.

The rest of the day, Yoh had not seen Anna. He started to doubt that it ever happened. At the end of the day, Yoh went to bed and stared at the ceiling. He smiled as he remembered all the fun times he had with Anna. The scent of Strawberries and Champagne entered his mind, and this time he smiled. He closed his eyes. Anna was back, and he was happy. He had no problems drifting peaceful off to sleep.

There was a knock at Yoh's door. Yoh moaned as the slowly got up and put on some pants. Yoh usually sleeps in his boxers and an undershirt. His vision was a little blurry. It seemed that he was in a deep sleep, something he hadn't had in a long time. He got to the door and opened it. His eyes widened: _An-Anna?_ But then he looked closer. No, it wasn't Anna, it was Julie. And it wasn't _Strawberries and Champagne_ that he smelt, it was _Love Spell_.

"H-Hello," she said in her American accent.

"Hello," Yoh said in his Japanese accent.

"I'm really sorry to wake you at a time like this," Julie looked at Yoh apologetically.

"It's okay," he smiled at her, "What is it you need?"

"W-well you see my light bulb must've burnt out."

"Oh," Yoh smiled, "I'll fix it for you."

Julie smiled, "Thank you so much, Mr. Yoh!"

Yoh laughed as he walked out of the door, "I thought I told you not to call me 'Mister'. It makes me sound old."

"Oh, well I read," Julie walked next to Yoh, "that it shows respect when you call someone 'mister', or in Japanese '-san'."

"Well, if you must, then call me '-kun'," Yoh smiled as he went to the utility closet, "But you have my permission to not call me by an honorific."

Julie smiled, "Okay. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Yoh took out a box of light bulbs and a flashlight. Julie went ahead to guide Yoh to her room. Once in her room, Yoh turned on the flashlight and handed it to Julie. She held it while Yoh fixed the burnt out bulb, "So why are you staying up so late, Miss Julie?"

"Well I guess I'm still not used to the time change," she said sheepishly, "I know I've been here for about a week or so, but it takes me a while to get used to things."

"Oh, so you were trying to occupy yourself?" Yoh asked.

"Yes," she responded, "I was studying for the college that I'm going to go to here. And you said that if there were any problems to go see you…but I'm so sorry to wake you."

"Oh, that's not a problem." Yoh finished up and the light shone brightly, "Whatever time it is, if you have a problem, come see me."

Julie smiled brightly, "Thank you so much!"

"Uh-huh," Yoh got up and headed towards the door, "Anytime."

"Goodnight, Yoh-kun!"

"Goodnight Miss Julie," Yoh smiled as he exited and walked back to his room.

On his way he stopped by the room 107. He stared at it for a while. He smiled and shook his head as he continued his way back to his room. Once there, Yoh lay in his bed. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Though he was happy to help Julie out, he still wished that it was Anna at the door. He wanted to smell Strawberries and Champagne, not Love Spell. He also wanted to have proof that Anna had come back. Tomorrow, he decided, he'll see if she truly came back. With that settled in his mind, he fell asleep.

The next day started off like the others; Yoh went to work. Then he saw her: Anna. Yoh smiled, yes, Anna was back!

"H-hey, Anna! What's up?"

"I'm going to get breakfast," was all she said as she passed him by to go towards the dining area.

Yoh's eyes widened a bit. _I may have been a little superstitious, but she had just spoken 5 words. She wasn't starting all that up again, was she? I really, really, hoped that she wouldn't._ Yoh shook his head; he'd give her a couple more days.

While Yoh did just that, what he had feared came true. She was acting just like she had before and would speak no more than 5 more. He wondered what about happen if she had spoken 6. He wanted to ask her, but he just didn't know how. She's been gone for so long, it wasn't like he could just ask her and she would answer without argument.

_I guess Anna's life was worse off then before. That was the only reason I could think of. I hated to think about it, but what could've happened to her? Did Haijime still beat her? Was it worse now that Kyosuke and Kosuke were older? There were so many things I wanted to ask her. And I'm sure none of them would come out the way I wanted to. I couldn't figure out why Anna was being so distant to me, though. Even if her life was worse off, why would she ignore me? I told her that I wouldn't give up on her, and that I protect her. I thought if anything, she'd be happy to see me, or at least explain what's been going on. But then again, that didn't sound too Anna-ish. _

Yoh leaned his head on his elbow and continued to think.

_But what if she's been living a whole new life, and doesn't want me in it? What if she grew out of that "phase" and didn't like me anymore? What if she ran away and wanted to forget her old life? Yeah, that sounded more Anna-ish. But if she wanted to do that, then I was out of the picture. When we were little, I was with her most of the time. So most of her childhood memories consisted of me, and if she wanted to start a new, then forgetting me was somewhere on the top of the list._

Yoh sighed. He had to talk to her. He had to figure this out. Tomorrow, tomorrow for sure; he wasn't going to procrastinate anymore. He had the perfect chance because he got off of work earlier tomorrow then he did today, and he was going to talk to her.

The next night made Yoh nervous. Inwardly he smirked; Anna still struck fear in him. He walked to her room and then he saw her standing outside of it, trying to get in. Yoh took this as a perfect opportunity, "Anna, can I talk to you?"

Anna turned towards him, "Now?"

"Yes and this I want more than 5 words," Yoh had a serious look on his face.

"Well, haven't you gotten more demanding?" Anna took out her key to the room, "How was that? That was _6_ words."

"Anna, I'm serious, I need to talk to you."

"What is it then," she turned toward him looking rather uninterested.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Yoh asked looking for the truth, "What's happened over the years? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," she mumbled as she turned away and said a little louder, "Besides, this is _**not**_ your business."

"Anna—"

"It is not, Asakura!" She answered quickly. Her voice had anger in it, the only emotion other than annoyance that she showed Yoh.

"I think I have the right to know why you talk to everyone but me! Wasn't I your best friend once?"

Anna stood there with one hand on the door, ready to slide it open. She was looking down and her bangs covered her eyes. The key in her hand jingled when she almost dropped it.

"All I'm asking for is an explanation," Yoh calmed down, "I wanna know why you're mad."

"I told you I'm not mad," she almost whispered.

"Then why won't you talk to me? I know that you were probably mad that I didn't listen to you all those years, but that's not a reason to hold a grudge for that long; even if you are "_The Kyoyama Anna_". And I'm really sorry if my meddling made your life worse. But I want you to know that I don't regret protecting you. I would do it again if I had to. I'm just sorry if protecting you somehow made your life worse…"

"It was worse, but it would've happened either with or without you," Anna unlocked her door and slid it open, "But I would've rather been beaten, then sit there helplessly and watch you get beaten because of me."

Yoh's eyes widened.

"I want you to stay out of my business this time," she entered her room, "I don't…I don't want to feel guilty anymore. Just please stay out of my business…and you won't get hurt."

Just as she was about to close the door behind her, Yoh stopped her, "Anna. I will never just stand there and watch you get hurt. I made you a promise, and I will keep it. Kyoyama Anna is entitled to happiness too. So I'm sorry, but I'm not going to mind my own business. You can be as distant as you want, but that won't change my mind."

Anna sighed and closed her eyes, "Do whatever fits your fancy. It's your life you're wasting."

She closed the door and Yoh smiled, "Good night, Anna."

"Goodnight………Yoh," she whispered, but Yoh heard it. His smiled widened and went on his way.

_Finally, I finally think I understand why Anna was acting so distant. She felt guilty, thinking it was her fault that I was beaten up. It was my own fault though, I chose it. I wanted to protect her. She said when we met again, that she thought I was dead. She probably had that heavily weight on her. And she probably just wanted to get me out of her hair, so that just in case it happened again, she wouldn't feel guilty. I felt better now, knowing that Anna wasn't mad at me, and that I now knew her reasons. She, in her own way, just wanted to protect me. Now that I understood, I'd say that she was perfectly in the right mind._

* * *

Okay. I told you it would be shorter. This time it was only 14 pages! **Next chapter will be about the same.** **Any comments, questions, suggestions, **or, _**complaints**_**? I will gladly take all as long as you're not too rude. Please review and I'll get right on the next chapter! Thanks a million!**

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE: Again, a week., more or less. No less than Saturday, no more than Thursday (of next week). **

**I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! : ) Stay tuned for the next chapter! **


	3. Kyoyama Anna Does Not Cry

Hello Hello! Miss me? Well I missed you! Okay, so once again there is something I feel I must warn you about…but I don't want to give away the chapter.Ah, what to do? Oh well, I…guess I warned you? Oh never mind, I probably just confused you. So sorry for that.

**Thank you all for reviewing, this chap's for you! : )**

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 2:

"Kyoyama Anna Does Not Cry"

_Over the past few days Anna had become a little more sociable. And by that I mean, more than 5 words. Sometimes it was even more than 6. She met my friends and got along with them pretty well. She found friendship in Tamao and Pirika. And sometimes she'd get in fights with the boys and they'd tell me that she was mean. I'd laugh and responded that she had her reasons._

_Anna was still pretty distant, but at least she calls me by my first name now. She was also a little more understanding about my concern for her. She didn't want me to worry or butt in, and there's no doubt that I hadn't heard the last of her favorite words_ "It's not your business!" _But it didn't matter. Those words no longer had an affect on me. They were just words that meant she was uncomfortable about the subject we were on. She'd use those words so I wouldn't find anything out, but I found out in the end anyway. _

_Anna had been staying here for a about a week or so, and I supposed that she'd want to move out sooner or later. I didn't her want to, but that's the attitude I've seen. Not that she didn't like it here, it's just that she didn't want to be committed to just one place, or at least that's what I supposed. If she wanted to leave though, I figured that I shouldn't stop her. If she really did want to start a new and forget her past, then leaving me out was probably a good idea. As long as I got to talk to Anna before she left, and if I found that she's happy, then I'd be content. I couldn't control her life. No, that wouldn't be right. And it would be very selfish of me to make sure that she stayed at this one place. If she was happy, then I guess I should be happy for her._

Yoh walked into the dining area. It was his break time and he wanted something to eat. Luckily lunch was still serving and he had time to get it. He grabbed a couple of things to eat and headed over to the table where Hao, Manta, Horo-Horo, and Anna were sitting.

"May I sit here?" Yoh asked pulling out a chair next to Anna.

"You can," Anna looked at Yoh and then Hao, "but your brother cannot."

"Oh, that was harsh Anna-chan," Hao pretended to pout.

"Don't call me '-chan'," Anna glared as she picked up her chopsticks to eat, "I was just sitting her and all of a sudden you came _uninvited _and sat next to me. Then shorty and blue boy came too."

"Hey," Manta's eyebrows furrowed, "That's not nice."

"Yeah," Horo-Horo stopped stuffing his mouth, "We just decided to sit with Hao and all. We didn't know we needed permission."

Anna rolled her eyes, "And what if I wanted to sit alone?"

"Too bad," Hao smirked, "We decided that we were going to sit next to you so you could stop being so anti-social. Let's see if you could hold up a conversation: So Anna, how are you?"

"I'm eating," was all she said without even looking at him.

"Geez, Anna, I guess you can't," Hao crossed his arms, "You're always so moody! Y'know what you need? You need a good cry."

Anna looked up at him, "What?"

"You never cry! I think you could use it. It'll make you feel better."

"Crying only makes you feel worse," mumbled Yoh as he stared at his food.

"Well the only reason you say that is because the last time you cried hard was when Anna moved," Hao said while pointing his finger at Yoh.

Anna looked at Yoh and just stared, "You cried?"

"Y-yeah," Yoh didn't look at her, "I didn't get to say goodbye. And you were my best friend."

"Why weren't you able to say goodbye?" Manta was curious.

"I-I was absent from school."

"Well, didn't you tell Yoh you were moving?" Horo-Horo asked Anna, "I mean you two were best friends, right?"

"She couldn't," Anna opened her mouth to answer, but Yoh did it for her, "I was at the doctors."

"Why?" Manta was now confused.

"I broke my arm," Yoh nervously scratched his head when Anna now had a wide-eye stare.

Hao took notice of Anna's expression and smirked, "Well, Yoh got beaten up."

Yoh glared at Hao. Hao promised not to say anything, and if Hao did, then Yoh could promise that this wouldn't end pretty.

"Why was Yoh beaten up?" Manta asked while it was Anna's turn to glare at Yoh.

"He was robbed," Hao explained and it was like Yoh could breathe again, "Yoh refused to give his money and they beat the crap outta Yoh."

Manta and Horo-Horo stared at Yoh, "Why the hell didn't you just give them the money?"

"It was important to me," Yoh gave a sheepish smile.

"Just…" Anna looked at Yoh, "…how beaten up were you?"

"W-well," Yoh stumbled over what he was going to say. He didn't want it too sound like he was _too_ beaten up because he knew that it would upset Anna. But then Hao ruined Yoh's sincerity by answering:

"Oh, man, was he ever beaten up! Black eyes, broken arm, bruise ribs, ha ha ha, he was like the living dead!"

Yoh sent a glare towards Hao while Horo-Horo responded saying, "Wow, Yoh, I'm surprised that you're alive!"

"Ha ha ha," Yoh laughed nervously, "It's not as bad as he makes it sound." Yoh stole a quick glance at Anna, "Besides, I'm fine and alive, that's all that counts, right? I cried when Anna left, not because I was beat up." Anna sadly looked down at her food while Yoh once again glared at Hao.

"Anna, have you ever cried?" Hao asked. The only people that had ever seen Anna cry were her step family and Yoh. She planned to keep it that way too. Yoh hadn't told Hao, and therefore Hao would probably never find out.

Anna stole a glance at Yoh. Yoh opened his mouth but Manta spoke instead, "Of course she has! Everyone cries!"

"Kyoyama Anna does not cry," Yoh said while looking down at his food.

Hao rested his head on his hand and had a bored expression on his face, "That doesn't surprise me at all. Anna's a pro at being emotionless."

"Isn't your break over?" Anna asked while glancing up from her food; her eyebrow was lifted.

"And a killjoy," Hao added as he got up, "C'mon guys."

Horo-Horo and Manta got up and took their plates away. Yoh signaled to the other guys that he'd leave soon; he hadn't been on the same break shift as the others.

"Someone robbed you, huh?" Anna looked down as her chopsticks rolled over a clump of rice.

"Yeah," was all Yoh could think to say, while he too looked down at his plate; he hardly ate anything.

"A broken arm? Bruised ribs? That's a helluva (a/n: aka hell of a) beating," she glanced at him.

"Yeah, but it was worth it," Yoh looked towards her and smiled.

"Don't risk having the crap beat out of you for _money_," she looked at him while emphasizing "money". Yoh knew that she wasn't really talking about that, "That's just plain stupidity."

"Some things are just worth it," Yoh shrugged, "I don't think it was stupid at all."

"Whatever Yoh," Anna looked back down at her plate and then back up at him, "But you should really get back to work. As manager and future owner, you shouldn't be coming back from your breaks late. That's a bad example."

"Ah, you're right again Anna," Yoh looked at his watch. He then stood up and took his plate.

"Oh, Yoh," Anna stopped him before he left, "Don't worry about my room, I'll be leaving soon."

—_That sentence may have more meaning than I thought—_

_I knew this day would come, and I didn't want it to. I wasn't going to argue, if that's what she wanted. I know Anna's got an independent spirit, and I couldn't expect her to stay only because I wanted her to. If she didn't want to, then I shouldn't make her._

"A-ah, okay," Yoh tried to smile, "Please tell me when you're going to leave. I have to go now. Ja ne!"

Yoh left and headed towards the front desk. Once there he relieved Ren, who was filling in for Yoh while he was on break. Yoh had a few customers for the onsen, but none really for the inn. After a while the customers died down and there were hardly any. He sighed and leaned his head on his hand, which was propped up on the front desk.

_I don't really want Anna to leave, but I can't say I didn't expect it. I knew it was coming, but I didn't know that it would come so fast. I still wanted to talk to her. I wanted to catch up. I wanted to make sure that she would be happy. I didn't want to live without her, but I knew that I could. And she could probably live without me too. It made me sad, but that was the truth. But this time I'd say bye and she'd say bye too. It wouldn't be like last time. It will be different._

_Before Anna leaves, I have to make sure to talk to her. Who knows how long it will be until I see her again? I know she'll probably decline at first, but I'll make sure we talk. I mean, don't I deserve that? I was part of her past. I was one of the few people who knew of her real life. In fact, I was the only one she told. And I was involved too. I think I have the right to know what happened to that disgusting pig Haijime and his two sons. _

_Then I smelt the delicious scent of Strawberries and Champagne. I lifted my head up to see Anna. I had just gotten used to the scent having happy memories, but I know that once she leaves, it will go back to the way it was before. I would get nauseous, and dizzy and feel like I did that day, instead of feeling happy and overwhelmed with good memories of Anna. _

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she said, "I'm telling you so that you won't _cry _when I leave." Then she turned to resume to her room.

"B-but Anna," he said to stop her, also feeling a little offended at her comment of him crying.

"Are those your favorite words?" Anna took note that Yoh had said those words almost every time they meet, "Anyway, don't try to stop me. I'm leaving tomorrow so if I don't see you, then goodbye."

"B—wait, Anna," he almost said "but" again, "I won't stop you if this is what you want to do. But at least have a talk with me before you leave."

"What?" She didn't quite understand. She was a little shocked that he wasn't going to argue for her to stay.

"I'm not going to make you stay," he repeated, "I just wanna talk. We're friends, right? Or at least we were. I think we owe it to each other to catch up with each other. If you really are leaving, don't you think it's fair?"

"…" Anna stared at the floor for a while. Then she looked up, "I guess I do owe it to you, huh? Well then I'll be on the rooftop tomorrow looking over the city, 'kay? If you can't find me, then I'll probably be there." And with that Anna turned from the front desk and left.

Yoh smiled. It wasn't as hard as he thought. He would finally have a talk with her and see how her life's been. He had to prepare himself though. He didn't know if the news he was about to hear would be good or bad. He was hoping that her life had been good, but deep inside, he could feel that it was bad. If anything, the first few years they had been apart must've been hard. She was only 10 when they separated and there weren't a lot of choices that she had.

Yoh then thought: what if Haijime died? He smiled at that thought. Anna would've been free! Yoh then frowned, no she wouldn't have. She still had Kyosuke and Kosuke to deal with. Unless they went into foster care because none of them were 18 yet. But that would be better than being in Haijime's care. Or what if he remarried and tormented another family? Yoh closed his eyes and found it hard to think like that. If he did, then Haijime must've just existed to ruin lives.

What if, in the new town that Anna moved into, she found another friend? What if it was a smarter, stronger boy that saved her? Maybe she wanted to leave Yoh so that she could get back to the person who _really_ saved her life. Yoh frowned; sure he should be happy if someone else saved Anna, but he frowned at the thought of Anna leaving him because she had someone else that she liked much more than stupid little Yoh. Yoh mentally kicked himself. He should be happy if Anna had someone she liked way more than Yoh. If she had a……_love interest_. Then maybe Anna would be truly happy. Maybe that's why she was being so distant towards him? He would find out tomorrow though if she had some love interest in someone else. And he would make sure that Anna really liked him and that he could take care of her. Whoever it was, if there was one, that that someone could probably make Anna happy more than Yoh could. Or at least that's what he thought.

Or maybe it didn't change at all. Maybe no one saved her. Maybe she had no love interest. What if it stayed the same but only grew worse because she grew older. Yoh sighed; that was definitely a possibility. Haijime wouldn't have died so soon, and no 10 year old could beat Haijime up, or stand up to him, Yoh tried and failed. Unless whoever else may have helped Anna was older or it happened when they were older. But he started to doubt that even if he was older that he could stand up to Haijime, because it wasn't just Haijime, it was his sons too. Though Kosuke never really seemed to do anything but stand there and let everyone else do his work for him. Yoh knew that the most likely story of the 3 to be correct was the last one and he was willing to bet on it too.

The next day came very quickly, or so it seemed. Yoh _technically_ didn't have work, but he had just gotten new people to work at the inn part-time and he had to show them how it worked. They came in around 10 o' clock and Yoh had to show them the ropes. Yoh inwardly rolled his eyes when he heard some questions asked by the new-bees. Not that asking questions was bad, it was just that it was so time consuming. They asked good questions, but it took a long to explain, and if they didn't understand, Yoh had to give them a demonstration. He started to worry about Anna. He hoped that she wasn't waiting too long. He also feared that if he had taken too long, she would just leave, without them having their little talk.

Finally Yoh finished, but it was just about evening now. He stretched and then got into his "comfortable form" which was, un-tucking and then unbuttoning his shirt. He looked out the window; the sun might even set soon. Yoh worried that Anna had given up on waiting and just left. He ran to her room to check if she was still there. He knocked and no one answered. He knocked again and listened closely to see if he could hear any movement. When he didn't he ran to the front desk.

"Did Room 107 check out?" Yoh asked.

"Isn't that your friend's room?" Ren, who was working the front desk, asked, "She hasn't checked out yet."

Yoh smiled a smile of relief and thought of where she could be. Then he thought back to what Anna said:

"_I guess I do owe it to you, huh? Well then I'll be on the rooftop tomorrow looking over the city, 'kay? If you can't find me, then I'll probably be there."_

"Oh," Yoh should've looked there first. That's the spot that they were going to talk at, wasn't it? Yoh then hurried on his way to the rooftop.

When he finally made it there, Anna was walking around. She was wearing the same outfit that she wore when she first came to the inn: A red beanie, a long beige jacket, and her little black boots. She was looking towards the ground and kicking a few rocks off the roof.

"I'm sorry, the meeting took a little longer then I thought. Did you wait long?"

"Only two hours," she said impatiently without looking at him. She then kicked another rock off the roof.

"I'm sorry," he sounded apologetic.

"You already said that."

Yoh caught himself almost saying "sorry" again, but he knew that would annoy her.

There was a little silence before Anna finally decided to speak up, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted us to, y'know, catch up."

"Catch up?" Anna lifted her head and looked towards Yoh while lifting a brow, "Okay…you first then. What have you been doing these past nearly 8 years?"

"Well…I moved out of Hick Town when I was about 12," Yoh shrugged while he tried to think of what's been going on since he moved out of Hick Town, "I moved here to be closer to my grandparents who owned this inn. I went to school and met all these friends, but I still worried about you. Don't think that I forgot about you, because you know I didn't and I wouldn't. I started to work here when I was 16 and started to love working here. And soon I will be the owner."

"No college?" Anna asked as she kicked another rock.

"Nope, too stupid, remember?"

"Yoh…" she looked at him, "You know I didn't mean that when I said it. Besides, I said it when we were like 7, like I knew anything then."

Yoh laughed a bit, "I know. I didn't mean it either. I don't think I'm fit for the whole 'college life'. I'm content staying here and running this inn."

"You don't want to go out and be a rock star like you wanted when you were little?"

Yoh laughed, "Nah, it wouldn't have worked out anyway. You left and the band broke up before it even got together."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Hmph. Damn right it wouldn't have worked out. I don't want to be part of your little dream band."

She crossed her arms and looked away. Yoh laughed for a bit and then asked, "What about you Anna? What have you been doing over the last nearly 8 years?"

Anna frowned and looked at him. She uncrossed her arms and started, "Well, after you passed out they continued to beat you and me just a little bit. But since you pissed Haijime off, you got the worse beating. When Haijime was done, he picked you up and threw you into the back of that pig Ginji's truck. Then Haijime told Ginji to throw you out wherever, and I supposed that's what he did."

Yoh frowned and paled. No wonder he was so beaten up and his arm was broken. He couldn't remember being thrown out of the back of a truck, but it was certainly possible.

"Then the next morning, after Haijime sobered up," Anna continued, "he realized what he had done and he thought that he had killed you. Fearing that we would get caught, he made us move."

_This was shocking to me. She paused and I wondered what else had happened. It must've been horrible for Anna to witness. I was beaten right in front of her eyes. No wonder she thought I was dead. I should've been dead. But I wasn't and it was probably hard for Anna to deal with the fact that all these years I was "dead" and now I'm alive. It all made sense. But what was she going to say next? It was like I was holding my breath, just waiting to hear the next words out of her mouth. When she didn't say anything, I dared to ask,_ "…Then what?" _Did I really want to know? Yes, I __**had**__ to know._

Anna took a breath and then continued, "Well he took me with him obviously, and he still continued to use and abuse me." Anna turned away from Yoh. Her blonde bangs fell in front of her face as she kicked another rock off the roof, "Then when I got older…he sold my body."

"He…sold…your body?" He repeated and said slowly. Anna slowly nodded, still looking away from him. A look of horror was placed on Yoh's face.

"So I ran away, and here I am," Anna walked over to the edge of the roof and held onto the rails, "Kosuke I don't really have to worry about. He's a lazy little bastard who won't do anything unless it benefits him. But Kyosuke…Kyosuke's just like his father. Haijime has sort of lost interest in me, but not completely. But Kyosuke, he doesn't want to give up on me. He wants me. I'm Kyosuke's now, or that's what Haijime says. And since I'm not 18 yet, I'm still technically his. Though I doubt he still has my adoption papers. I think he just pretends. But I have no proof. They're probably looking for me right now."

This seemed to be worse than Yoh had thought. And Yoh thought it was pretty bad to begin with. He shook his head, things were probably worse off then she was a kid. Of course it would be she was a beautiful young woman now, not a kid with childish features. They continued to abuse her and that made Yoh down right angry. It seemed that Haijime may no longer have the interest as he did before (probably got bored of her), but now Kyosuke was after her.

_This got me mad. I mean, I should've expected it, but I think even if I did, I'd still be pissed. I was angry with Kyosuke and hated Haijime with every fiber of my being. I usually don't "hate" people, but I truly hated him. And Kyosuke was going to right there with him. Why? Why did Anna have to live this life? Why did her mother marry Haijime?? Then something struck me…just how did Anna's mother die? And did her mother know about Haijime being abusive? I had to ask._

"…Anna…?" Yoh knew that this was going to be difficult, "H-how did your mother die? I mean, did she know that Haijime was abusive?"

Anna looked down and gripped the rail, "Yes, she knew firsthand that he was abusive. He wouldn't beat me when my mother was alive. He would beat her. She wanted to break up with him, but he wouldn't let her. He practically _forced_ my mother to marry him. She thought that I didn't know, but I did. I knew that he beat her, usually at night. That's why I'd always run away to your house at night. I wanted to tell you, but I thought you wouldn't believe me. I wanted to tell your parents, but I didn't think they'd believe me either.

"I was little, but I still remember, I didn't know what it meant when I was little, but they said that my mother had committed suicide. They said that, but I think her _husband_ had something to do with her death. It was all a horrible experience, and I was too sad to actually ask Haijime what happened or to see my mother's dead body. They wouldn't let me. So actually, I regret it, but I don't know exactly how my mother died. But I don't think it was suicide no matter what the investigators said."

Yoh sadly looked down. Anna's mother was a good woman, and he knew that she wouldn't abandon Anna. Even if it was really hard on her, Anna's mother Annabelle wouldn't do that to Anna. Annabelle loved Anna, and would do anything for her. It didn't seem right and Yoh too believed that Haijime had something to do with it.

"Well, I'll be leaving soon," she turned her head a little bit towards Yoh.

"A-alright," he didn't want her to leave, but he already agreed to himself that he wouldn't argue if that's what she wanted to do. Besides, if Kyosuke really is after her, he's probably on her trail.

Anna gripped the rails tighter as she gave a cold laugh, "Kyoyama Anna doesn't cry, right?" Anna then climbed up onto the rails. Her little black boots gripped tightly onto the rail, "But let's see if she can fly." Then she spread out her arms like a bird about to take flight.

"Anna!! What are you doing?!" Yoh asked as he ran to her. He immediately grabbed onto her jacket.

"I told you I was leaving," Anna's eyes were emotionless and blank again, "I never said anything about _moving_."

"But Anna!" Yoh wrapped his arms around her waist so that she wouldn't fall.

"There are you favorite words again," her voice matched her eyes, "Yoh. Let Go."

"No way!" Yoh held tighter.

"Don't make me regret talking to you," Anna said with a tint of anger in her voice. She tried to wiggle her way out of Yoh's grip.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Yoh looked up. He expected her to turn her head towards him. She strongly smelt of Strawberries and Champagne.

"Yoh, let go," she didn't looked at him.

"Anna! Answer my question!"

"You won't stop interfering."

"Of course not Anna! I made you a promise."

Anna looked down at the city below her, "I know you did. But I don't want you involved anymore. I don't want to see you get beaten to death. It scared me to the death the first time, what makes you think it will be any different the next? If I leave this way, you can go on with your life. You can live without me. You are the soon-to-be owner of this place. You have a life without me. Putting me back into your life will just make your life difficult. I don't……I don't want that. I want you…to live without me."

"Anna…but why? Why like this, you don't have to kill yourself!"

"If I do, it'll only be easier for me. Kyosuke won't find me, if he does, it wouldn't matter; I'll be dead. And then, without me, you can stop worrying and go on with your life. Go to college, get a better job …get married, have kids, live a great life…" she trailed off.

"Anna! Don't talk like that! Don't talk like you're the reason why I'm not in school or have a girlfriend or whatever! Besides I love my job! I wouldn't change it for another! Anna, your death will only get me depressed!"

"But you will eventually forget about it. You're strong enough to get over it time. You won't dwell on it. You didn't dwell over us getting separated forever. And I'm glad. I want you to go on with your life!" She tempted to lean forward, but Yoh tried to pull her back, "Now Let go!"

"No matter what you say, Anna, I won't let you go! I will never forget you! You're a big part of my life and nothing can ever change that!" Yoh held a little tighter, "Anna, you're my best friend. We spent 5 years (maybe even more) together nonstop. You can't suddenly expect me to forget you."

"But we've spent more years apart then together. I'm no more than a memory."

"Anna! Can't you see? We were together EVERYDAY up until your mother died. You can't expect me to forget all that happened when we were 10."

"But wouldn't it be great if we could forget?"

"You dying isn't going to make me forget. It's just going to remind me and make me sad. Trust me, Anna, nothing good will come of you dying. If I stand here and watch you die, I'll become a wreck. Trust me Anna, have I ever lied to you before?"

Anna dropped her arms to her side and stopped trying to push forward. Yoh was still pulling her back and wasn't expecting her to stop, so she fell back onto him. They fell back and Anna was on top of Yoh. He sat up slowly, picking Anna up with him. She ended up being on his lap.

She slowly lifted her head up to look at him, "I-it's gunna rain."

Yoh looked up and saw the orangish-purplish tint of the sky, it was almost sunset, but it was most definitely was not going to rain. He looked back down and he gave a little sad smile. He knew by now though, that that was just code for "I'm going to cry". "Anna, it's not going to—"

"K-Kyoyama Anna does not cry……right?"

"I think it'll be okay if you cry just this once, Anna."

Anna started to cry and she buried her head onto Yoh's chest. She clenched onto his shirt, "I…I don't know what to do!! I don't want them to find me! My life's horrible!! When can I stop??"

Yoh felt the hot tears on his bare chest and through his shirt. He had to be strong for her, and he was going to be strong. He was no longer weak and he was there for her. He was going to protect her. In his life, it seemed most important. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. He wanted to comfort her, "You can stop living your old life, and start a new one. I know it would be impossible for you to forget, but don't make your new life dependant on your old one. You don't have to live your old life."

"I-I don't want Kyosuke to find me!" Her voice was muffled because her head was on Yoh's chest. She probably hadn't cried this hard since that time they were at there "secret spot". She sniffed a couple of times, "I can't even imagine forgetting if I know he's out there looking for me."

"He won't find you," he rubbed her back and held her a bit closer, "Even if he does, I'll show him a thing or too. I'm not the little weak boy you left in Hick Town."

Anna gave a little laugh, "Yoh, they beat _me_; you think you can beat them? Besides, you wouldn't. You were too nice just to get into fights."

"If it's to protect you, then I would."

Anna, still buried in his chest, looked up slightly. He could only see her eyes and a little bit of her nose. There were still tears running down her cheeks and onto his chest, "You'd do that for me?"

"Yes, you're my friend, and friends want their friends to be happy. You, Kyoyama Anna, deserve happiness and you should get it. I'm not going to make you stay here if you don't want to. You could either stay here with me, or you can leave, and when I say that I don't mean leave as in die. I mean find your own place if you want to. But if you choose that, then at least let me help you find a place to stay."

"No," she seemed to have calmed down and now she only had silent tears rolling down her face. She leaned her forehead on Yoh's chest, "I wanna stay here……I wanna…" then her voice went quiet, "stay here with you."

Yoh smiled; she did care. She was his friend, and he was hers. He, no matter how hard Anna wanted to deny it, was her best friend. She cared more for him then she'd like to admit, and deep down she knew that he was the only one in the world she trusted. Everyone around her abused or used her, but not Yoh. He could say something to her and actually mean it. Not everything that came out of his mouth was lies. He was optimistic, and sometimes Anna could see that as lies, but not all of his optimistic hopes were made-up. She gripped tighter onto his shirt and whispered, "Th-thank you, Yoh."

"Everyone deserves to live a happy life," he looked down at her, "including you."

Finally Anna decided to raise her head up and look at Yoh. She was smiling, which made Yoh smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled, and she never did enough of it. They shared a moment of smiling for awhile, that is, until Anna glared at him.

"W-what?" Yoh was confused. She was just smiling a minute ago!

"If you tell _anyone_ about me crying, I'll beat the _shit_ outta you!"

Yoh laughed. He found it funny how throughout the years, crap turned into shit, "Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone. Kyoyama Anna does not cry, right?"

Anna sighed as she looked back down so she could "cuddle" closer to Yoh's chest. She looked out at her view, the sun was setting, "Even though we aren't near a lake or on a tree, this kinda reminds me of our "spot", don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Yoh looked at out at city, it was different from the tall grass, but it was still beautiful to see the city tinted in the orangish-purplish color the sun made the sky. The sun wasn't reflected off water this time, but now by the surrounding buildings, it was different, yet the feelings were the same.

"Yoh," Anna whispered while digging her head into his chest, "Let's just stay here for a little bit longer……"

"Yeah," Yoh whispered as he put his hand on her back to lean her in closer. He rested his chin on her head.

They just sat there for a while enjoying the silence and each other's company. She could hear his heartbeat and she slowly gave a small smile. They were finally going to be together like they were when they were little. Yoh thought that he missed her more than she missed him, but overall they missed each other equally. He was going to keep his promise and he was going to make sure that no matter what she wanted to do, she'd be happy. Anna kept smiling just knowing that someone actually cared, and he actually showed it. He didn't just _say it_, he _did it_.

There were still a few doubts in the back of Anna's mind, and to tell the truth there were still some doubts in Yoh's mind too. But they decided to put that to the way backs of their minds and enjoy right now for now. If Kyosuke did come, they'd just have to deal with that when it happened. They knew that no matter how much they prayed or wished, they couldn't change their past. So what else could they do but live for now? Right now was their moment and they were going to enjoy it while they still could.

_I don't know what will happen next. I don't know if Anna will get tired of staying here at this inn and leave. I don't know if Kyosuke will find her or not. I just wanted to make sure that if she did choose to leave sooner or later, that she could always come back. I wanted things between us to go back to the way it was before. Right now we were happy, and right now we were perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

Well, there you go!! Your weekly dosage is now complete! I hope you liked it!! **Please review, this next chapter is a long one, but if you review, I promise to release it soon! It'll inspire me to write faster!! Hehe. Okay, well thank you for reading this! Much appreciated. **

**FUN FACT:** (if you'd like to read)

Okay, so this story was originally supposed to be titled "_She was Perfectly in the Right Mind_", but that was way too long (like my chapters!). So then I wanted "_To Live Without You_", so that's why there's so many references to like "_I could live without her, but I didn't want to_,"-type sentences. But I _think_ there's already a story out there named that. And I'm not into stealing titles. So then I decided on "_Perfectly In the Right Mind_" because I want all my chapters to end with that line….So I'm gunna try hard to reach that goal! So, there. That has been you're fun fact….even though it probably wasn't "fun". Haha.

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** Hopefully, a week. It's lookin' to be a long chapter (sorry) so I'm hoping a week…or week and a half. Please bear with me. I'll get it done I promise. I'm hoping next Friday!

**Thanks so much for reading! Until next time: Ja ne! **


	4. Living Conditions

**Okay, so I'm a total idiot…I forgot that Friday was the Fourth of July. So I'm sorry I was a little later than what I predicted, other than it being the Fourth,** **I was also babysitting this week.** So keeping my little cousin entertained is hard work, _whew_, but at least I got to play video games and kick her little butt!! Haha, just kidding. So anyway, sorry for the wait and **thanks so much for reviewing!! It is appreciated like you wouldn't believe!!**

**Please, Enjoy!!**

Chapter 3:

"Living Conditions"

_It's been a few days now since incident on the roof. Anna acted almost as if nothing had happened, but I think that's only because she didn't want anyone else to know about it. If Pirika or Tamao found out that Anna tried to jump off the roof, they'd go crazy and keep a careful watch over her until she could be trusted alone. I thought it was a pretty good idea to not tell anyone either. I mean that could lead to someone asking if Anna had cried. And if I let that spill, then I was dead._

_Anna talked to me a little more than usual and I felt that everything between us would be fine. I think that finally she was "opening up" or at least a little bit. She may not have been coming up and telling me directly that something was wrong or that something was troubling when something was, but she did come over just to talk to me. Well, she'd always think of an excuse to talk to me. But I knew that her excuse didn't really matter. She finally felt comfortable just talking to me._

"Oi, Yoh!" Hao came over to the front desk where Yoh was working, "We need to talk."

Yoh rolled his eyes and sighed, "'Bout what?"

"'Bout Anna, that's what."

"Why? What happened?" Yoh seemed a little panicked.

"Calm down, it's nothing bad."

"Then what is it?" Yoh asked cluelessly.

"It's a matter of space."

"Space?"

"Yes," Hao leaned his elbow onto the desk, "Anna's in room 107, correct?"

"…yeah…?" Yoh couldn't see where Hao was going with this.

"How long is she going to stay here?"

"For as long as she needs."

"And how long would _that_ be?"

"I don't know!" Yoh hated when Hao took too long to get to the point. It always left Yoh uninterested in the end but since it was Anna they were talking about he figured he'd try.

"See," Hao pointed at Yoh, "Anna's staying in room 107. If you've forgotten, let me remind you: Room 107 is for customers who are staying only for a _while_, in other words, a renting room."

"So what?" It wasn't clicking in Yoh's head.

"Yoh! Anna can't stay in room 107 if she's staying long-term!"

"Well then we'll move her into one of the long-term rooms."

"But, Yoh," Hao sounded a little frustrated, "That's not fair! We should reserve those rooms for people who actually _pay_!"

Yoh was stopped there. He thought for a moment, "Hm…"

"Yoh," Hao gave a half-glare to show that he was serious, "You can't have her staying here without paying anymore. If you want to be the owner and keep this place running, then you need to step up. And most importantly, you need money!"

"Alright, alright," Yoh wanted Hao off his back, "I'll think about what we'll do."

"You should help her find a job."

"Yeah, yeah."

"If you don't tell her soon, then I will!" Hao said while walking off and mumbling something like: "You and your stupid crush!"

Yoh sighed and rested his head on his hands, "What should I do?"

He thought about it carefully. Anna was still 17; she wasn't legal…so she couldn't go out on her own. No one would let her rent a room in an apartment or buy a house; not like she had the money to anyway. That was another thing. Money. She probably didn't have a lot and she'd probably need to get a job. She could just work here and pay off her room, but who knows how long she'd stay? And what room would she stay in?

Then an idea struck Yoh. He almost laughed at his idea, and thought that Anna would disagree, but he had to try. If she didn't agree to what he was about to propose, then he'd just have to come up with an idea with her.

After Yoh's first work shift, he headed over to Anna's room and knocked, "Anna? Are you there?"

Anna slid the door open, "Hao said I have to move, is that true?"

Yoh got the shivers; her voice was cold and demanding. Yoh was tempted to say "no," but he knew that he couldn't, "Yeah, its true."

"Fine, then. I guess I'm leaving for real this time," her voice as calm and cool, but you could tell she was a little upset.

"B-but, I have a proposal for you."

"What is it?" It was almost as if Yoh was expecting the words "Speak quickly."

"Well, I live here too, but it's the basement floor. I have an extra room, so if you want, you can stay with me."

"…" Anna thought for a moment, "I wanna check it out."

Yoh nodded and led Anna to the basement level, or B level. It had two floors, B1 (the lowest level) and B2, though B2 wasn't really a floor. B2 was basically Yoh's room and that was it. It was a hallway that had one room, a bathroom, and stairs leading down to the B1 level. On B1 there was a basic house set-up. It had a little kitchen connecting to his living room, and another bathroom. It may have sounded small, it was actually pretty big and if he had enough beds, maybe about 2 more people (not including Yoh and Anna) could stay there. It was a little bigger then an apartment room. There were also other things on the B levels, but they were mainly storage spaces.

When Yoh and Anna arrived at the B2 level, Yoh showed Anan his room, "You can take my room. I can sleep on the couch."

Ann didn't want to argue, it sounded like a good deal, but it was his room, so she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh, the couch is a pull-out bed too," Yoh smiled and then led her down the stairs. Anna was a little shocked and Yoh noticed, "What?"

"I wasn't expecting it to be this big."

"Well I have the whole Basement floor to myself, so it would be no problem if you stayed here."

"Alright," Anna shrugged, "I guess I'll stay."

Yoh smiled, "Okay, let's move your stuff in here."

So they started to walk off in the direction of Anna's _old_ room, "Hao tells me that I need to get a job too," Anna said opening her door to get her stuff.

Yoh was a little angry that Hao didn't even wait for Yoh to tell her himself, "Uh, yeah, I can help you find one if you want, or you can work here."

"Well if I'm going to stay here, then I'll work here too. It'll be easier that way."

"Alright," Yoh smiled, "But we can't start you right away. We just got some new people and we need to see where you're needed and where you'll do best at."

"Okay," Anna was done packing her things, since she didn't have much in the first place, "Let me know when you've determined what I'm going to do."

"Will do," he said as he offered to take Anna's bags. She nodded and he picked them up. They walked over towards the front desk to turn in the keys to the room. And then they started to walk to the B levels.

Yoh hoped that living with Anna wouldn't be too hard. He tried to think of it as one of the sleepovers that they used to have as little kids…Though it was a little harder now that they were grown up. Then he tried to think of it as getting a new neighbor, but closer. He never had a roommate before, but he figured there's a first time for everything, right?

Soon they got tot the B level and dropped Anna's things off in Yoh's old room. He started to clear things out while Anna checked out the rest of the B1 level.

Yoh did as much as he could with his room. He couldn't move everything out, but he certainly did make it more condensed. He put his stuff in a couple of boxes and then carried them down stairs to the living room, where his new "bed" would be.

"Oh, Anna," Yoh said while putting the boxes down, "There's one little problem."

"What?" Anna was still examining the "house".

"Miss Julie Anderson…" he said slowly.

"Who's that? It sounds like a foreigner."

"She is…" Yoh explained, "She's from America and she's not quite used to this place. Especially since it's a traditional Japanese inn and onsen."

"So she needs a lot of help?" Anna faced him.

"Yeah, and she has a lot of questions so I told her it would be all right if she came at any time for my help."

"And how would this affect me?"

"Well, she has trouble sleeping at night," Yoh hoped that Anna wouldn't get mad, "So sometimes she might come in the middle of the night for help. So if she does…"

"I'll be the first one to hear her knock, right?" Anna crossed her arms.

"Right, sorry," Yoh looked down a bit.

Anna sighed, "You tricked me. I knew this was too easy. How often does she ask for help?"

"Well, she's been staying here since a few days before you came…" Yoh trailed off as he thought, "I think she might be used to it by now. But she might still need help. But I don't think she'll be coming over every night."

Anna sighed again and uncrossed her arms, "I guess I can live with that."

"Great!" Yoh smiled, "Well, I have to go to work, so make yourself at home, okay?"

"Wait," Anna stopped him from going up stairs, "Didn't you already go to work this morning?"

"Yeah, but I'm going back for a little bit," Yoh gave a sheepish smile.

"Why?"

"Well, I got news this morning that the person who was supposed to work the desk can't make it today. So me and Horo-Horo are splitting the shift."

"You have to be stricter on your workers," Anna pointed a finger at Yoh, "You can't just have them suddenly canceling on you, that's not fair!"

"Well it's not that long, and it's not a big deal," Yoh smiled as he walked up the stairs, "Now I have to go before I'm late! Make yourself at home!" And with that Yoh left.

Anna tried her best to make herself at home, but it was kind of awkward. She was here all alone. She had already examined the whole floor, what should she do now? She sat on the couch and turned the television on. She started to think about her life now. Now that she was living with Yoh. She could think of it like sleeping over Yoh's house. But this wasn't a one time thing; this was until she felt the need to leave. And besides, they were no longer kids. Yoh had grown up. Anna gave a slight smile; he wasn't a little boy with little boyish features. He was tall…maybe about 6 feet now. He had muscles and he no longer had the childish-boyish smile. Girls were probably all over him. But he didn't have a girlfriend, that is, not to Anna's knowledge. Though he'd tell her if he did, wouldn't he?

Anna shook her head. Why was she thinking such silly things? Yoh may look older, but she could tell he was still childish at heart. She turned her attention back to the television. She flipped through the channels to see what was on.

Yoh came back to see Anna sitting on the couch watching the television, "Tadaima," he said while walking down the stairs and unbuttoning his shirt.

"That was longer than expected," Anna said not turning her attention from the television.

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Yoh gave a slight laugh as he walked towards the couch.

"I got bored," she didn't exactly answer his question. Yoh smiled and sat next to Anna.

Yoh frowned when he looked at the T.V. it seemed she was watching some kind of soap opera. His hand was on the remote.

"Don't you dare change it," she said without looking at him, but Yoh could feel the glare.

"I didn't know you liked shows like this," Yoh put the remote down.

"I didn't think so either, but I just got so bored," Anna picked up the remote, "I started watching it and now I want to know what happens."

Yoh inwardly sighed. He knew that if Anna heard him sigh, she'd probably send a death glare, or worse, smack him. So he decided to hold onto his life and keep his mouth shut. He started to watch the program and tried hard not to laugh or sigh. He rolled his eyes and turned to look at Anna. He noticed that she was sitting quite stiffly, like she was afraid to get comfortable.

"You can sit however you want," Yoh spoke somewhat out of the blue and made Anna jump just a bit, "I don't care if you put your feet on the couch or if you lay down. You're gunna be here a while, right? Might as well get comfortable."

Anna didn't say anything but she relaxed a bit. She moved a little bit and got more comfortable. Yoh got the hint that she didn't want to "get comfortable" in front of him, so he said, "I'm gunna make some popcorn, 'kay?"

"Alright," her attention was on the T.V.

Yoh left to make the popcorn and returned to find that Anna was now more comfortable. She was sitting on her legs and her elbow was on the armrest as she leaned her head on her hand.

Yoh smiled, "Here's some popcorn."

"Thanks," she said as she took some.

"So Anna, you really like this kind of stuff?" He asked referring to the program on T.V.

"Well, at first I didn't. Some of the stuff they do on this show is really lame," she popped a corn into her mouth, "But nothing else was on so I just started to watch it. It's not that good, but it's somehow addicting to watch."

"That's a soap opera for you," Yoh ate some popcorn as he sat down next to Anna, "It may not be good but you somehow get attached."

"Well, it looks like we found a new addiction."

"Whadda'ya mean, _we_?" Yoh said eating some more popcorn, "It's just you."

"Oh, just you wait and see Asakura Yoh," she looked over to him, "You'll be watching this with me too."

"You wish."

"Just wait, when you have work and you won't be able to watch it, this soap opera will be nagging you in the back of your mind."

"Tch. Hey, I'm only watching this now because I'm bored and you won't let me change the channel."

"I'm bored too, and here I am watching it. And I'm going to watch tomorrow's episode too. At least I'm not afraid to admit that I'm interested in this show."

"Trust me, Anna," Yoh popped some corn in his mouth, "I'm not addicted and I'm not going to get addicted."

"Okay…" Anna said disbelievingly.

Yoh opened his mouth to speak but Anna shushed him. The show was ending and she wanted to see the last bit of it. Not to mention, she wanted Yoh to see it too. They both knew that it would end in a cliffhanger and that's exactly what Anna wanted Yoh to see.

"_Oh, no, Nakata can't be dead! He just can't!! Doctor Oguni, please, please tell me that he's alive!!"_

"_Chiko…"_

"_Doctor, tell me!"_

Then there was a close up on the Doctor's face and the screen went black. Then the announcer said, "Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode!"

Yoh rolled his eyes. Both Anna and Yoh knew that the scenes would not show what happened to Nakata, "I knew it. They always end these kind of shows like to keep you watching."

"And you don't want to watch it?" Anna looked at him.

"Nope, besides, I have work around this time tomorrow."

"So you don't want to know if Nakata is dead or not?"

"He's dead," Yoh said simply.

"How can you be that sure? I've only seen one episode, but I already know that Nakata is a main character. I think it'd be a bad move to kill off one of the main characters."

"But then why didn't the Doctor just tell Chiko that Nakata was alive?" Yoh turned towards Anna, "If he was alive, then why would he hesitate to tell her?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to find out, won't we?"

"Tch. I don't care; I'm not going to see it anyway."

"It'll nag you," she said in a sing-song tone, "You'll get addicted."

"Nuh-uh," Yoh shook his head and ate some popcorn.

"Whatever," Anna handed Yoh the remote, "Your turn."

Yoh graciously took the remote and changed it to some sports channel. It was Anna's turn to roll her eyes. She didn't even try to hide her dislike.

"Ugh, sports?"

"Yeah, sorry," Yoh smiled, "Me 'n Horo-Horo make bets on which team is going to win."

"Since when are you into sports?" Anna seemed bored.

"In high school I ran for track."

"You? Track?" Anna turned towards Yoh, "You're too much of a slacker to do that."

"Well, I was when we were little, but I found that running relaxes me," Yoh laughed, "I know it seems unbelievable, but I did indeed do it."

"Come to think of it, you were always faster then any of us when we were little," Anna looked at Yoh, "Were you faster than everyone in high school?"

"When I first started off, no," Yoh thought back, "Well, I was fast, but I wasn't where I wanted to be."

"And where did you want to be?"

"I'm not sure…well what I mean is, it's hard to explain. I just had to keep pushing myself. It wasn't about winning or losing with me. I just wanted to surpass my limits."

"Did you?"

"I did, but I don't know where I am now," he looked a little sad, "After high school, its hard to keep up."

"You said you didn't care about winning, but did you ever win?"

"Uh-huh," Yoh smiled, "Lots."

"So you got medals, right?"

"Yup."

"Can I see them?" Anna sat up.

"Yeah, they're over here," Yoh got up and Anna followed him. He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. There was a little box filled with medals.

"Asakura Yoh: First Place," Anna picked one up and read it, then she went through his medals, "They all say first place!"

"Nuh-uh," Yoh picked up a sliver medal, "I got second place in 9th grade."

"Oh, wow, _one_ second place," she said sarcastically, "You'd think you'd get a scholarship…"

"…Y-yeah…"

"Yoh…don't tell me you got one but you turned it down…"

"Well, I did get one," Yoh looked a little sad, "In one of the meets my senior year, I was injured. It was about mid-season and someone heard about my reputation. They got too competitive and while I was working out, the pushed me and my leg was injured."

"So you didn't win one race, big deal," Anna looked at all his medals.

"Well, actually, the injury was so serious that I couldn't participate in the rest of the season."

"It was that bad?"

"Yeah, they pushed me onto something, I can't remember what though," Yoh scratched his head, "I had a broken leg, and running on it ever since has been weird."

"But you can still run, right?"

"Yeah, I'm a lot slower then I used to be, but I'll get there eventually."

"What made you want to run away?" Anan continued to examine his medals, "And why didn't you mention this earlier when we were 'catching up' before I was going to leave?"

"Well I guess it slipped my mind, sorry. But I run because it gives me time to think, time to myself, and I can sort things that are troubling me out."

"Y'know, if you get good like you were before," she said while putting on a medal, "You could go pro."

"Eh…I don't know. I really like running this inn. And I don't know if I could ever get that fast again. Since that accident, my legs have been weak. I can't run as long as I used to." He somewhat chuckled at Anna wearing his medal.

"You're always talking about the inn. Yoh, you have a chance to win more of these," she said taking the medal off, "Wouldn't you like that more then this inn?"

Yoh laughed a bit, "I like both…remember it wasn't about winning or losing with me. I just enjoy running and wanna surpass my limits."

"I can become your trainer if you want," Anna put her hands on her hips.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll decline for now. I have my own training, and I think that works for now. I can't go too hard on my leg yet."

"Hmph," Anna crossed her arms, "When do you run?"

"Usually in the mornings," Yoh shrugged, "But sometimes I don't have time in the mornings, so whenever I have time."

"I see, so you run everyday?"

"I try," He smiled as Anna handed him the medal she was holding.

Anna gave a slight smile, "Well, I'm going to read in my new room."

"What?" Yoh asked, "You're not going to stay and watch T.V. with me?"

"Nope," Anna shook her head, "I saw what I wanted to see."

"But I watched your show with you!"

"Yeah," she said while walking up the stairs, "But did I ask you to? You watched it yourself. I didn't make you." And with that Anna walked up the stairs to her new room.

Yoh sighed as he watched her walked up the stairs. Then he turned and flopped onto the couch to watch T.V. Living with her wouldn't be so hard if she was just going to go up to her room and read whenever she got bored. Or maybe that's what was going to make living with her hard. If she got bored and just went up to her room, what kind of fun would they have?

The rest of the evening was uneventful as the only thing that really happened was dinner. Anna received some teasing from Hao, but they only backfired. He'd say things like "Be Good," or "y'know, Anna, if you get bored with Yoh, you can always move in with me." And she'd fire-back saying sarcastically, "Oh, you sure the other girlfriends you bring home wouldn't mind?" And then he'd shut up. Other then that, it was a quiet evening that soon turned into night-time.

"Anna?" Yoh knocked on her bedroom door, "I'm gunna get up a little early, so I'm going to bed now, okay?"

Anna slightly opened the door and responded, "Alright. Goodnight then."'

"G'night," Yoh smiled, "Remember, if you need anything, just ask."

"Okay," she said as gave a slight nod and closed the door.

Yoh made his way down the staircase and prepared the pull-out bed. Anna in the meanwhile decided that she'd get some sleep too. She didn't know what she could do and she was bored of reading, so going to bed was her best option. She quickly changed and got into bed. His bed was nice and fluffy and it smelled like him. She couldn't quite target what he smelt like, but it was definitely different. He had his own unique smell and she liked it, whatever it was.

As hours went by, the two of them were sleeping soundly until there was a knock at the door. Anna groggily got up and looked at the clock. 3:45, "If that's Yoh with some lame-ass excuse making me get up this early, I'm slap him so hard—" there was another knock.

Anna got up and opened her door roughly. There was no one at her door. The knock was coming from the main door, "It must be that Anderson lady." Anna mumbled as she reached the main door. She opened it to see a lady about her height (so about 5'4", 5'5" or so) with straight, nicely groomed blonde hair and blue eyes standing in front of Anna. Yes, it was Julie Anderson.

The woman was startled for a bit seeing someone other than Yoh answer the door. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for Anna to answer the door in her pajamas, considering her pajama was just an over-size T-shirt, "Um…uh…Did I come at a bad time?"

"Well it's 3:45 in the morning," Anna said bluntly while leaning against the door frame.

"Well, um…I'm Julie Anderson…I moved here not too long ago. I'm still not used to the time change," she could tell that Anna was bored, "Is Yoh here?"

"Yeah, hold on," Anna slide the door closed just a bit, "Excuse me."

She went down stairs and headed for the couch. Yoh was asleep on his side; his back was towards her. She sat down on the side of his bed, "Yoh?"

There was no response so she repeated, "Yoh?"

"Mmm…what?" He moaned as he sat up a little bit.

"That Anderson lady is here," she yawned, "She wants your help or something."

Yoh rubbed his eyes as he sat up fully. He yawned as he looked at Anna. Her hair was a little messy, and he noticed that she was only wearing on over-sized T-shirt…no nothing else (well, yes underwear, but that's beside the point), "You answered the door in _that_?"

"You expect me to get fully dressed just to answer the door when it will only take a second?"

"Well, no, but…uh…couldn't you at least put some pants on? Or where some other type of pajama to bed?"

"Well excuse me. This is my only pajamas," She put her hands on her hips, "I don't have enough money to buy any pajama pants! And you sleep in boxers and a T-shirt!"

"Yeah, but at least you can mistake mine for actual clothes!"

"I always used to sleep in an over-sized T-shirt; it never seemed to bother you before!"

"That's because we were little! It was cute back then, but now we're older and it's shorter!"

"It's not that short!"

"Yeah it is!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "You wanna sit here and argue and make that lady wait? Fine, I hope you know that I never lose an argu—"

"Ah! Julie!" Yoh jumped up and hurriedly slipped on some pants.

"That's what I thought," Anna crossed his arms as he hurried up the staircase, "Oh, Yoh? It's not that short."

Yoh laughed as he made his way up, "Fine whatever you say, Anna."

Yoh finally reached the top, walked down the hallway, and opened the door all the way, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Um, it's okay," she gave a slight blush, "Sorry to…_interrupt_."

"Interrupt?" Then Yoh thought back to how Anna answered the door, "Oh!! No, no, no, no, no! She's my roommate. Her room is up here now and she was the first to answer the door."

"Oh, I see," she said slowly.

"So, what did you need help with?"

After Yoh had helped Julie out, he returned downstairs only to find Anna sleeping on his bed. She was curled up and sleeping sideways on the bed with no blankets on her. She was probably too tired to return to her own room and just fell asleep there. Normally Yoh wouldn't mind it and he'd go back to his own room for tonight, but he had to get up early. If Anna had slept there, he'd probably wake her up while he was getting ready, especially since he moved most of his stuff into this room.

"Anna," he almost felt bad, but he had to wake her up. He also had to brace himself for a slap. He still remembered that Anna did not like to be disturbed while she was sleeping. When she did not wake up, he once again called out her name, "Anna, wake up. You need to go to your own bed."

She did nothing up breathe heavily. Her mouth was open ever so slightly and her chest was moving up and down as a result of steady breathing. It became apparent that she was not going to get up. Anna had never been good at waking up and she'd always get into some kind of deep sleep. It was like she became sensitive when she slept.

Yoh sighed; he knew what he had to do. He'd have to carry her up to her room, because she wouldn't do that herself. Usually, he'd pick her up piggyback-style, but in the position she was in, bridal-style was easier. He just hoped that she wouldn't wake up and freak-out.

He gently picked up her and smiled when he felt that she wasn't heavy. Not that he thought she would be, but it just brought back so many memories. As she headed toward the stairs he heard her mumble something.

"What?" Yoh's eyes widened, she couldn't be talking in her sleep, could she?

"No." she said, her eyes were closed.

"No…what?"

"No!" she started to struggle. She tired to wiggle her legs and move her arms, making it hard for Yoh to carry her, "Anna, stop!"

"No! _You_ stop!!" Even though she was talking in her sleep, she was tough as ever, "Can't you hear me? I said NO!"

"But, Anna I need to—"

"No! I don't want to hear it! I said no!"

"'_No'_ to what?"

"You know exactly what!! I won't let you do this to me!"

"Do what?" Yoh asked, "Anna, who do you think I am?"

"Quit playing stupid, Kyosuke!"

Yoh's eyes widened, "Kyosuke? Anna, trust me, I'm won't do anything to you, I'm Yoh, not Kyosuke!"

"That's what you said last time!" Anna continued to struggle, "You're a damned liar!"

"No, Anna, it's me Yoh!"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" She seemed frustrated, "Quit mocking me! I know damn well that you're not Yoh! You can't even begin to compare to him you filthy pig!" And then she slapped "Kyosuke," but it was actually Yoh she slapped.

_My cheeked burned. I didn't deserve it, but I'm sure Kyosuke did. I couldn't help but feel that this nightmare she's having had actually happened once. It made me mad to even think that Kyosuke would do such a thing. And did he really pretend that he was me? Would he do that to Anna? Would he say that he was me just to mock Anna or to get her relaxed? When we were little Kyosuke, who was about 5 years (maybe 4 years) older would make fun of our closeness. So I'm guess that Kyosuke would say something along the lines of, _"C'mon, Anna, it's me, Yoh, come play with me,"_ because that's what he used to do when he teased us when we were little. It got me mad. I hated Kyosuke._

After the whole slapping incident, Anna calmed down a little and mumbled some harsh words while Yoh tried to make it up the stairs. When he made it, he slid the door open with his foot and made his way to the bed. Then he gently laid her down. Once he did though, Anna went crazy and started to kick and move her arms around, screaming: "No! No! No! Stop it! I won't let you!"

"Anna, Anna!" He tired to calm her down, any louder and the people on the floor above them might get the wrong idea. She tired to slap him again, but he gently grabbed a hold of her wrists.

"No! Stop!" She cried out again. Her breathing got heavy; any more excitement and she might wake up. Her chest heaved up and down heavily. It seemed like, like she was…scared.

"Anna," Yoh said in the calmest, gentlest voice he had, "It's me, Yoh. I'm here and I won't let Kyosuke get you."

"Yoh?" She calmed down, and her struggles began to stop.

"Yes, Yoh."

"No, you're lying," she sounded sad.

"No, I'm not," he gently let go of her wrists, "I won't lie to you. It's really me."

"But, Kyosuke—"

"I'm not Kyosuke, and I'm not going to hurt you," he said while grabbing the blanket to put over her.

"Then…you saved me?"

"Saved you?"

"From Haijime and Kyosuke…" her voice seemed softer and it seemed that her talking will soon stop.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he put the blanket over her and tucked her in. He leaned over her to make sure she was covered.

Then Anna did something that shocked Yoh. While he was leaning over her, she wrapped her arms tightly around Yoh's neck. She was hugging him.

"A-Anna?" He looked at her, she was still asleep.

"I…" she started and then pulled him down towards her. Yoh blushed as his face was right next to hers. She pulled him closer and then his head was just above her shoulder.

…_Strawberries and Champagne…_

She whispered to him, "I missed you."

"M-Me too," he stammered because of their closeness.

"Promise me," her breath tickled his ears, "That you will never hurt me. Not like they did."

"Never," Yoh smiled, "I would never hurt you like they did."

"Don't leave me," her voice started to drift and her embrace loosened, "Don't give up on me…"

Her embrace was broken and she didn't speak anymore. She just started to breathe like a normal person sleeping. Yoh lifted his head and smiled, "I wouldn't do that, Anna."

Yoh got up and walked towards the door her turned to her sleeping figure, "Good Night, Anna." He was only answered by her soft breathing. He smiled and walked out the door.

As Yoh made his way down the stairs, he thought back to when they were little. Of course this wasn't the first time Anna had talked in her sleep; he was actually a little bit used to it. And she only talked in her sleep when she had nightmares.

He contemplated on whether to tell her about her nightmare, but then he shook his head. Anna didn't like it when he told her about them. She hated when she heard about how sensitive she was and she hated being reminded of her nightmares. Also, Yoh thought as he made his way to his bed, if he told Anna how she hugged him, he might get a hand print on his face. He somewhat laughed at that thought as he crawled into bed and slowly, but surely, drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Yoh woke up early. It was about 5:30 and it was time for his daily run. He got ready as quietly as possible, but then realized that he felt his weights in his old room. He silently cursed at himself and headed up the stairs. It was absolutely necessary for him to run with weights on or else he might never get faster. He quietly opened up the room. Anna was tangled in the sheets and he tried not to look at her, for her position was a little _revealing_. He quickly retrieved the weights that were in the bottom drawer, and he quietly, but swiftly, left for his run.

Once Yoh closed the main door, Anna opened her eyes. She lifted her head and started at the door. She sat up and threw the blankets off of her. She ran a hand through her hair and got up to grab her beige jacket. She wanted to see Yoh run. She threw the jacket on and left the room; she didn't even care that she was barefoot.

She didn't bother buttoning up her jacket, she just closed it tightly. It was about up to her knees anyway. She made it to the lobby and looked out the window. She saw Yoh stretching a bit and then put his head phones on his ears and started to run; a smile was plastered on his face.

"He loves running," she whispered. Once Yoh was out of sight, she backed away from the window. She sighed as she put her hands on her hips. What was she going to do now? She seemed wide awake. She looked over at the front desk to see Horo-Horo leaning his head on the desk. He seemed to be sleeping.

"Hmph," she walked over to the desk and slammed her hand hard on it, causing a big "THUMP".

"WAH!" Horo-Horo's head shot up, "Geez, Anna! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" she lifted a brow.

"I _am_ working!"

"No. You were sleeping."

"But there're no customers and it's really boring."

"Well what if I was a customer? If I saw you sleeping I'd get a bad impression on this place." Anna gave a little glare. Yoh passed right through here, and he didn't even wake Horo-Horo up! Yoh was too much of a softie.

"Ugh," Horo-Horo moaned, "You're right, I have to work hard. This place means a lot to Yoh."

"He works the most, right?"

"Yup."

"Speaking of which, do you have the working schedules?"

"Yeah, but I don't think—" he stopped when he saw Anna's glare.

"Show them to me," she demanded and poor Horo-Horo could do nothing but hand them over. She read them over carefully. She must've had something up her sleeve.

Horo-Horo had a bored expression on his face while she read them over. He looked down, "Oi, Anna, why are you barefoot?"

"I just got up," she threw the schedules back at Horo-Horo as she left, "And I just might go back to bed. Oh, and don't tell Yoh I was here, got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" Horo-Horo pretended to salute.

Anna headed back to her "home". She contemplated on what she should do today. She could go hang out with Tamao and Pirika, but she felt tired and decided that lounging around was a better idea.

Anna took off her beige jacket and threw it in her room. She continued to walk down stairs. She reached the couch and sat on it with her legs folded underneath her and her head leaning on her fist which was propped up on the armrest on the couch. She ruffled her hair and thought about the strange dream she had last night. Well, it wasn't a dream it was a nightmare. She wondered if she had talked in her sleep, and if she did, did Yoh hear her? She sighed because her nightmare was roughly based on true events. Kyosuke would in fact sneak into her room at night, and if she struggled, he'd carry her off.

Anna closed her eyes, "But that's over with now." She gave a slight smile when she thought back to when, in her dream, she was rescued by Yoh.

She couldn't remember all of her dream, but out of what she remembered it started off with Kyosuke coming for her. She refused to go with him so he picked her up and carried her off. She struggled and struggled but he wouldn't listen. He started to mock her saying that he was her precious Yoh. He said something along the lines of, _"C'mon it's me, Yoh. I won't do anything to you."_ She struggled her hardest, she even slapped him, but he paid no mind and continued to carry her off. He put her on his bed and she continued to struggle. She had no idea how it happened, but the figure was no longer Kyosuke. Yoh was there holding onto her gently, protecting her. She questioned him, and he was indeed Yoh. He saved her from Kyosuke.

She gave a slight blush as she ruffled her hair again. In her dream she had also "hugged" Yoh and whispered things to him. It wasn't like she didn't _enjoy_ the hug or didn't _want_ to tell him that she missed him. It was just a dream and besides, it was just…embarrassing. She hated to feel embarrassed.

Then she looked at the couch, "I could've sworn I fell asleep here…but I woke up on my bed." Then her eyes widened. There were only two ways that she could've made to her own bed: 1. she either slept walked back or 2. Yoh carried her. Her eyes widened; if it was the latter of the two, then she must've thought that Yoh was Kyosuke!

Anna felt her face flush. She hoped that that was not the case. She wanted to know, yet she didn't. If she asked him and his answer was negative, then she'd be relieved. But if she asked him and his answer was positive, then she didn't know how she'd face him. She'd probably blame it on him, and tell him not to disturb her sleep.

Anna ruffled her hair one last time, "I'm not asking." She then turned her attention to the T.V., "And if he's smart, he won't bring it up."

A couple of hours later, Yoh came home, "Tadaima!" He said while coming down the stairs.

Anna was now lying on the couch, "Finally."

"What, you missed me?" Yoh smiled.

"I woke up and you were gone," Anna sat up slightly, noticing that he was a bit sweaty, "What? You can't even tell your roommate that you're leaving?"

Once again she didn't really answer, but Yoh walked to the kitchen to grab water and replied, "Sorry about that, but you were asleep."

"Do you work today? Or were you working right now?" She pretending she didn't know.

"No I wasn't working right now," he headed over to the couch, "But I do work today and I'd like to take a bath before that. Are you going to get dressed today?"

"I declared today as my lazy day," she said as she knew what he was thinking, "Quit staring, it's _not_ that short!"

"It's a T-shirt! Of course it's short!" He exclaimed as he leaned his head on top of the couch from the back.

"Just think of it as that black dress I used to wear."

"Anna," Yoh pouted at her, "It's a T-shirt, its waaaay shorter than a dress that you wear."

"It is not," she crossed her arms at looked up at him, "Besides, if it bothers you so much, then why don't you do something about it and buy me pajama pants?"

Either way this went, Anna had won. If he declined, then she'd just exclaim that it wasn't that big of a deal then. And if Yoh agreed, then she'd win a new pair of pants, "Maybe I will." He laughed. Then, now that they were in the light, he caught a glimpse of her legs. They were a little scarred up, "Anna, those scars…"

She pulled her T-shirt down and tried her best to cover her legs up, but then she let go, "I don't care anymore. They'll go away eventually."

Yoh hesitated as he didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth and expected something to come out automatically, but when nothing did, Anna spoke up, "Shouldn't you be taking a bath? Time's a'wastin'."

"Y-yeah," Yoh gathered up a few things and then headed up the stairs, "Ja ne!"

Once Yoh left, Anna looked at her legs and traced a few scars, "They'll go away…eventually." She sighed, maybe she should get dressed.

Yoh took his bath and when he returned he found Anna lying on the couch, asleep. He smiled; she was dressed. He had to hold in his laughter as he looked at what she was wearing. She was wearing a black dress that was practically identical to the one she used to wear when she was little. The dress wasn't longer then the T-shirt by much.

He quietly continued to get ready for work and then left without her waking up. Soon afterwards, though, Anna had woken up to find that Yoh was gone and that she was just in time for her soap opera. She gave a smirk, "Yoh's gunna miss it."

Yoh sat at his front desk working on the schedule for next month and tired to add Anna in it. Something itched on the back of his mind and he looked up to see the time. He laughed to himself, "Anna's show's on."

He looked back down and continued to work on the schedules and stock orders when suddenly a thought popped into his mind: _"Is Nakata dead?"_ Yoh shook his head, he didn't care……right?

_Soon my mind started to think of what would happen if Nakata was dead. I tired hard not to think about it and try to concentrate on my work. But then I started to think what would happen if Nakata was alive. And the more I tried to concentrate, the more questions popped into my mind. And it started to nag at the back of my mind. If Anna could see me struggle, then she'd have that evil smirk of hers graced upon her lips. I was starting to think that Anna had cursed me. If she would've said nothing about the about the show, I would've had no problem not thinking about it. But because she said that it would nag me, it was. I know it was only mental, but the more I tired to forget, the more I started to wonder. I hated it. Anna was always right._

When Yoh was done with work, it was about dinner time. It took him longer than he thought because that stupid program kept distracting him. Usually he wouldn't care if Anna knew he wanted to know what happened in the show, but since he made such a big deal about not caring, he didn't want to give Anna that pleasure of making fun of him.

"Tadaima," he said rather unenthusiastically while unbuttoning his shirt like he usually does.

"You worked late," she said, still sitting on the couch, but this time reading a book.

"I had to work out a schedule," he made his way to the couch.

"Did you add me in it?"

"Yup," he smiled.

"Good," she said without turning her attention from her book.

Yoh leaned on the back of the couch and looked down at Anna, "What do you say we get something to eat?"

Anna looked up, "Sure."

They left to the inn's community kitchen. It was Tamao's turn to cook dinner and everyone was excited because she was by far the best cook. They got their food and sat down at a table. Yoh hated to admit it, but Anna's soap opera was still haunting him in the back of his mind. He secretly hoped that Anna would bring it up, but deep down he knew she wouldn't.

She just sat there eating while Yoh fidgeted with his food. Maybe if he asked her about the show and then she asks why, he'd just say that he was trying to start up a conversation, "So…did you watch your soap opera today?"

Anna lifted a brow and gave a slight smirk, "Yes I did."

Then there was silence. She said that and only that. Nothing more. Yoh sighed; he knew it wouldn't work. He opened his mouth and said, almost forcibly and regrettably, "What happened to Nakata?"

"I thought you didn't care," Anna gave an evil smiled.

Yoh knew she'd play this game, "I didn't, but since you 'cursed' me, I thought about all during work." Yoh should've just waved a white flag.

Anna still had her evil smile on her face, "Well, that was my plan."

"You're evil, Anna," Yoh gave a playful glare.

"Not evil; just smart," she pointed her chopsticks at him, "There's a difference."

"But there's a thin line between the two," he almost sighed, "So is he alive or not?"

"He's in a coma," she turned her attention back to her food, "They're not sure if he'll wake up or not."

"Ugh," Yoh sighed, "Now they're gunna make us watch it until we know if Nakata wakes up or not!"

"They'll already have a new plot by then," Anna answered, "Face it, Yoh, you're stuck with it."

"Bah!" Yoh cried in frustration, "You truly are the evil, smart-type, I always thought you were."

Anna gave a pleasurable smirk, "See, I haven't changed at all."

"That's for sure," Yoh gave a slight smile.

There was a slight pause of silence until Anna asked, "So what did that 'Miss Anderson' lady want?"

"Oh? Julie?"

"Yeah, whatever, her, what did _'Julie'_ need help at that _had_ to be done at 3:45 in the morning?"

"Taking a bath."

"What?" Anna dropped her chopsticks onto her plate making a 'clinking' sound.

Yoh then realized what he said came out totally wrong, "No, wait, that's not what I meant!"

"What _did_ you mean?"

"Well, see, she was having trouble adjusting to the time change, so she wanted to take a bath to help relax her," Yoh explained, "But she didn't know that after a certain time, the water heater is turned off to conserve it. So I warmed up the water the old fashioned way."

"I see," Anna said a little skeptically, "That was very kind of you."

"Well, she didn't know how to do it, so I helped her out," Yoh said, unsure of what Anna was thinking.

"Such a gentleman…" she said slowly.

"I was. I didn't peek or anything."

"Sure I believe you," but something in her voice sounded like she didn't, "I mean a pretty young American woman just asked a young man to give her a bath—"

"Hey," Yoh interrupted, "All I did was warm up the bath, nothing else!"

"Hm…"

Yoh sighed; why wouldn't Anna believe him? She should know he wasn't the type to do that. He respected girls in every way.

They finished their dinner quietly and then returned to their "home". They watched T.V. for a bit, but Yoh was interrupted a couple of times to help others. He helped the other workers that were having trouble or helping other inners who had trouble all together. Ultimately though, Yoh ended up working pretty late.

"Do you ever stop?" Anna asked as Yoh walked into the room, "You look exhausted."

"Don't worry, I'm done," Yoh said as he sat on the couch, "Sorry, Anna, but I work the early shift so I gotta go to bed."

Anna rolled her eyes, "You work too much."

"I just want to keep this inn going."

"So get someone else other then you to work. That's what you have workers for! Quit being so nice all the time! It's annoying!"

Yoh gave a sheepish laugh, "Sorry?"

Anna once again rolled her eyes. He never had any time for himself and he was always busy. He needed a break, but Yoh wouldn't take that offer, "Fine. Good Night, Yoh."

"Good Night, Anna," he said as she made her way to the stairs and he prepared to make his bed. He lay in his bed and sighed. He couldn't wait to fall asleep. He had a long day and he had to get up early tomorrow. Boy, did sleep sound good.

It seemed like just as Yoh got his eyes closed, he had to open them. But he didn't want to, he resisted. Anna was at his bedside trying to wake him up. She remembered from when they were little that when he was really tried he'd resist and wouldn't want to wake up. But she was determined o wake him up , "Yoh? Yoh. Wake up."

Nothing.

"Yoh, wake up!" she said more forcefully and shaking him a bit.

"Mmm…no," he said turning away from her, "I'm tired."

"I want to take a bath."

"Uh…then do it," he was drifting in and out between sleep and awake.

"I can't, the water heater's not on."

"Look," he said while propping himself up on his elbows and turning towards her, "If it's about Julie…"

"You'd do it for her," she said almost immediately.

"She's a foreigner, remember? She doesn't know how it do it."

"I don't either," she crossed her arms.

"Anna," Yoh got up, "It's 4 in the morning…who takes a shower a 4 in the morning?!"

"Apparently that Julia-lady does."

"Her name's Julie, and as I've said before, it's because she's a foreigner!"

"Hm…I see," Anna narrowed her eyes, "If you don't want to do it then fine, I'll just get Hao to—"

"Wait!" Yoh sat up fully, "Fine I'll do it!"

Yoh got up knowing that Hao could not handle this situation _properly_ especially if Anna was the one taking a bath. If he wanted this done respectively, he'll have to do it himself. He didn't have to bother to put pants on over his boxers. He didn't feel embarrassed in front of Anna, and apparently she didn't either.

They headed up the stairs and Yoh was trying to get the sleep out of his eyes, "Why, Anna? Why now of all times?"

"Well, I didn't want to use the public one, I don't need my scars to be the topic of gossip, and the private one's always got a line. I didn't feel like waiting this time."

"But you know I have to wake up early," Yoh was somewhat grumpy, "Really, who takes a shower at 4 in the morning?"

"I take a shower whenever I want," Anna walked ahead with her stuff in her hand, "Quit complaining, besides you're already up and half-way there."

They walked quietly after that to the baths until Yoh caught sight of Anna's stuff, "You still use Strawberries and Champagne, huh?"

"Yes, it's my favorite," she took out a bottle of pink body wash, "It's evolved too. It's not just a lotion, but a body wash. I'll let you borrow it sometime."

"Ha ha, very funny," Yoh half-laughed while getting the wood for the fire.

"What, you don't want to smell like a girl anymore?" Anna said playfully.

"No, I prefer that scent on you much more."

Anna didn't know what to say to that. She wasn't expecting him to say such a thing, and she didn't know how to take it either. So instead she just said, "Well, I'm getting in now. No peeking."

Yoh rolled his eyes as he started the fire to warm up the water, "As if. I don't do that."

Anna got in and closed the door. Yoh heard a little splash and asked, "Is it hot yet?"

"Yeah," he heard through the door.

"You want it hotter?"

"Just a little."

Yoh sighed, "Just a little" was hard to do, but apparently he was right because she didn't say anything after that. Yoh sat with his back against the wooden sliding doors. He sighed, he was so tired. He wanted to sleep but every now and then he'd heard a "splash" and it would wake him up. Once again he sighed, by the time Anna was done, he'd probably only have a half-hour's sleep left.

Then while sitting there, he heard a lovely noise. He smiled, Anna was humming. It was very soothing; he closed his eyes and smiled. He loved every moment of Anna's humming. Anna always hid her beautiful voice and she probably thought that he couldn't hear her. But he could and he was happy. She used to hum when she was in a good mood when they were little and it always made Yoh happy.

_I always loved her voice. It was always so relaxing to listen to when she let her voice be gentle. She always used to hum when her mother was alive and sometimes if I was lucky I would hear her sing. That's when we decided that we were going to make a band, she was going to be the singer, I was going to play guitar and Hao as to play bass guitar. As for a drummer, was still had yet to determine. But that dream shattered a long time ago, but that was okay, as long as Anna still hummed. That was good enough for me._

Anna's humming seemed to lull Yoh into a peaceful and gentle sleep. Too bad for him he was leaning on the door. He didn't realize that Anna was done. She finished tying her robe up when she opened the door. He fell back on her, and the poor boy didn't wake up!

"Yoh!" Anna yelled. His head was on her stomach, "Get up right now!" She was about to slap him, but she saw his peaceful face and she couldn't, she didn't know why, she just couldn't. She stared at him for a while. She studied his face; it was different from what she remembered. Well, of course it would be. He grew up since then. His face was the same yet different. His face had matured and he was no longer "cute", but handsome. More so then she'd like to admit. But his hair was still the same, just a bit longer and he still had the expression on his face when he slept. Anna smiled. The last time she studied his sleeping face was when she run away to his house:

She tapped on the window and Yoh sleepily let her in. They didn't even have to speak to each other; they were used to it for now. Yoh yawned as he headed into the bed; he lifted the covers for Anna to slip in. He was too tired while he whispered, "Good Night, Anna." Anna was wide awake; too afraid to fall asleep. But for some reason, Yoh's sleeping face relaxed Anna. He was facing her and she was facing him. She had nothing to do but stare at him while he slept. She laughed at her own thoughts…for some reason, staring at his face made her want to pinch his cheeks.

Anna smiled once again; she couldn't see herself pinching his cheeks now. Well, actually that's just what she might do if he didn't get up soon. Her stomach was not a pillow and she didn't want to say here for much longer. Her wet hair started to drip on him and he started to flinch. She smirked as she took her hair to one side and wrung it out over his face.

"Puh! What the…!" Yoh started to cough as he woke up. He leaned forward as he wiped his face on his shirt. He leaned back and realized that his head hit something soft, not hard like wood. He looked up and saw Anna's glaring eyes, "What—Ouch!" She pinched his cheeks.

"How dare you use my stomach as a pillow!" She let go of his cheek, "Why were next to the door? Did you sneak a peek?"

"Of course not!"

"Get off!!" He didn't even realize that he was still on her stomach. He quickly got off and turned to face her with his hand on his red cheek, "You realize you're giving me reason to believe you peeked?"

"I…I swear I didn't! I was leaning against the door! I fell asleep," he didn't want to say this, but he had to, "I heard your humming and it relaxed me enough to fall asleep!"

"I…I wasn't humming!" It was an obvious lie, "You must be hearing things. C'mon, let's go."

"O-okay," Yoh slowly got up and followed her out, "Why'd you have to pinch me so hard?"

"You wouldn't wake up," she said, "How else was I going to get you off?"

"Uh…I'm sorry," Yoh sheepishly apologized, "I don't know how I did it, but I'm sorry I fell asleep on your stomach."

"Just don't do it again," she said walking forward.

"Anna?"

"Hm?"

"Can you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Can you keep on humming?"

"Why would I make a stupid promise like that?" She turned towards him.

"Well I mean you don't have to hum all the time, I just mean, everyone once and while, when you feel like it, hum. I don't care if you hum around the house. Don't be embarrassed, I like it when you hum. You have a beautiful voice."

"Are you tone deaf?"

"I'm not kidding! Remember you were going to be our lead singer in our band!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "We were stupid little kids to ever say that."

"No, we were just normal."

"Yeah," Anna coldly laughed and said sarcastically, "Every 10 year old gets the crap beat out of them. I guess it's the "coming of age"."

"Anna," Yoh frowned, "That's not what I meant. I mean it's normal for kids to dream about their future. Please Anna, don't stop humming."

Anna didn't respond quickly, but slowly and surely, almost reluctantly, she whispered, "Fine."

Yoh smiled as they reached the B-level. Yoh was smiling until he got in and saw the clock, "Ugh! I have to get up in a half-hour! What's the point of even going to sleep? But I'm so tired!"

"Yoh," Anna said walking down the stairs with Yoh, "You work too much."

"But I wanna keep this inn going,"

"That doesn't mean you work until you can't any more," she said as she now on at the end of the stairs, "You don't have to work when you're not getting paid."

"It's called kindness," he walked over to her, "Helping others shouldn't be a burden."

"But it is sometimes," Anna crossed her arms as she watched him walk over to his bed, "Helping yourself comes first."

"I disagree, Anna," Yoh said with a smile as he looked toward her.

"You do, do you?" Anna lifted a brow, as she walked towards him.

Yoh gulped, disagreeing with Anna is dangerous and it's something he should know not to do. Anna picked up Yoh's pillow, "Then allow me to help you." Then she pushed him so that he would fall on the bed.

"Ow," Yoh landed and then Anna threw the pillow at him.

Anna gave a hard glare and leaned close to him, "Now you better not get up until you've had a full night's rest. Got it?"

"B-but Anna my shift!"

"There are your favorite words again!" Anna threw a blanket at him this time, "I'll find someone else to do it! Now get to sleep!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Yoh was now scared and quickly laid down.

"Now if I see you up and about before you're rested, I swear you're going to regret it."

"A-alright…"

Anna turned around and made her way to the staircase.

"Oh, Anna?"

"What?"

"Thank you."

Anna smiled as she walked up the stairs, "Idiot. You need this break."

She disappeared to the upper level of the basement floor and Yoh smiled. He could faintly hear Anna's soft humming. He'd have no problem going to sleep now.

_I closed my eyes trying to fall asleep fast so Anna wouldn't kick my ass. I smiled; it wouldn't be that hard if I just kept her humming voice in my head. I understood. She woke me up at 4 so I would be late. She didn't want me to work. She wanted me to get a break and I'm truly grateful. If I was someone else rooming with Anna, I'd probably think that she was crazy, but no, I knew how her mind worked. I'd have to say that she was perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

Um, okay. This was as long as the prologue. I'm sorry, but then again, you guys said you preferred longer chapters, so I hope this was okay. **And I'm very sorry if there was grammar mistakes…I was tired when I was proof-reading from the babysitting. So please, excuse me. **

**Oh, and thanks so much, **_**Smart Angel**_**, for giving me an idea! I think I will do it. It might take me a while, but please look out for it. It would most likely be a oneshot. Hmm, I gotta make sure I make it good…I think I might write it from before she meets Yoh at the inn, and she's thinking back on her life, and then maybe a little of chapter 1 in there. Does that sound good? **

**So please, review. I take all your comments into consideration. And encouraging me does really work. : ) Otherwise, a 30 page chapter would not be written in like 2 weeks!**

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** Okay, I dunno if I'm babysitting again. But the next chapter shouldn't be as long. So to be safe, I'd say a week and a half…or maybe just a week, we'll see. But definitely no longer than 2 weeks!

**Thanks so much for reading!! Until next time: Ja ne!!**


	5. Brown Eyes meet Blue

**So apparently, I'm still babysitting.** I hope it's not an all-summer thing. If so…I'll just make her take a nap or something! But…that's highly unlikely…**But don't worry! I'll get everything done!** Please bear with me. : )

**Oh and this chapter was originally to be named** "Strawberries and Champagne Meet Love Spell"**,** **but it was too long. But both titles work out, or so I think. I should've called it **"The Clash"**, hahaha.**

**And thanks so much for your wonderful reviews!! You guys are lovely!!**

**Please Enjoy!!**

Chapter 4:

"Strawberries and Champagne meet Love Spell"

_or_

"Brown Eyes meet Blue"

_I woke up to the smell of toast and eggs…and bacon. This wasn't normal at all. I opened my eyes. What was going on here? I sat up and looked at my clock: 1:33 p.m. My eyes widened; I totally missed my shift. I moaned and lay back down. It did feel good to get a full night's rest, though. I remember that I used to sleep in all the time when I was younger. I smiled as I rubbed my head against the pillow. I knew I had to get up, but I didn't want to. I sighed and with all my effort, got up. _

Yoh got up and walked towards the smell and the sound of humming. He was pretty surprised to see Anna cooking. He knows they were little at the time, but from what he remembered, Anna didn't want to learn how to cook, "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Anna said without turning around to face him, "Its breakfast."

"……At 1:37 in the afternoon?" Yoh lifted a brow.

"Shut up," she pointed her spatula at him, "I didn't have to do this. If you keep complaining then you ain't getting any."

Yoh sighed, but smiled. He decided not to argue because he was hungry. So he sat down at the table and said: "Oh boy, breakfast for lunch."

Soon Anna was done and put a plate in front of Yoh and then sat next to him, "You'd better not complain about the taste either. Like I said, I didn't have to do this for you."

Yoh smiled, "Why did you suddenly take up cooking? I thought you didn't like cooking."

"Oh? What's this? Are you complaining? I guess you don't want any then…"

"No, no, no!" Yoh said stopping Anna from taking away his plate, "I was just asking you!"

"Well," Anna paused for a second, "You missed breakfast and lunch…and, well it's bad if a runner doesn't eat, right?"

Yoh smiled, "Thank you, Anna."

"Don't get used to it. This is for helping me last night with the heater."

"So you'll only cook me something if I do a favor for you?"

Anna shrugged, "Basically."

"I knew it," Yoh laughed.

"So, do you work today? I know you missed your first shift, but knowing you, you probably have two shifts."

"Actually, I don't have another one."

Anna was a little shocked, but her voice still remained calm, "What? You don't have another shift? You actually have a day off?"

"Yeah, oh! That reminds me!" Yoh said after taking a bite, "We've determined where you're going to work at. You're going to work the front desk."

"So I'm going to be an Inn hostess?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, something like that."

Anna gave a little smirk as she drank her juice, "Sounds fun."

"And since I have the day off, I could show you the ropes."

"Alright," she said.

"Oh, and by the way," Yoh was practically done, "Who did you get to do my shift?"

"Your brother."

"What? Hao would never willingly take me shift…"

Anna smirked, "Don't be silly, we had a little talk, and he agreed willingly."

"Anna…what did you…?"

"Just hurry and finish," she said, getting up, "Get dressed so we can go."

Yoh gave a soft smile; Anna sure did have her ways. He picked up his plate and put it in the sink. He gathered his things and went into the restroom to get ready. After he was fully ready, he went and knocked on Anna's door, "Anna, are you ready?"

She opened the door and nodded as they walked out to the lobby area. Yoh started to explain what to say while working the front desk. After that he explained the difference in long-term rooms and short-term rooms and what room numbers they are. He explained just about everything he needed to explain and Anna seemed to catch on pretty fast.

_I had a good feeling about Anna working here. She seemed to understand everything I said pretty easily. I had total confidence in her. I felt relieved that I didn't have to worry about her. She always caught onto things quickly. If she didn't understand something, she'd ask about it, that's probably why she was so good in school. And I knew that even though Anna didn't show it, she was excited to start. It would give her something to do other than staying in our room in her pajamas all the time waiting for everyone to get off work._

"So when do I start?" Anna asked.

"Hmm…well I don't have you on here till…"

"Let me see the schedule."

"B-but Anna—"

"Don't give me those words; the schedule please."

Yoh sighed; well at least she said please. He had to give in.

"Let's see…you have two shifts tomorrow," Anna looked at him, "I'll take the first one so I can get off in time to watch my show."

"A-Anna!"

"If you're worried I'll mess up because I'm starting so soon then you can come monitor me."

"Ah-okay Anna," Yoh gave a slight smile, "Oh, but what are you going to do about the uniform?"

"Hmm…well," Anna crossed her arms to think, "I think me and Pirika are about the same size, so I could ask if I could borrow her extra one for a while. By the way, when will I get mine?"

"Well, I'm ordering new ones that have the logo on it," Yoh thought for a second, "Maybe about a week from now. Don't worry, I ordered one for you too."

Anna looked down at the schedule, "Pirika doesn't work today. And something tells me asking Horo-Horo won't be any help."

"We can stop by her house," Yoh shrugged, "We have nothing else to do today."

"Sure," Anna said handing Yoh the schedule, "I haven't really been out much. I'd like to see what Funbari looks like."

"Okay," Yoh smiled, "How about we go for a walk and then on our way back we pick up the uniform. She doesn't live that far."

Anna nodded, "Let's call her first to make sure she'll be home. And let's make sure she says yes first."

"Right," Yoh nodded as they walked to the front desk. They used one of phones near the front desk. Luckily for them, Pirika answered and agreed. They notified her that they'd be there later in the evening. Yoh looked at Anna to see if she was ready and she just nodded. They walked by the front desk and Hao (who was working the front desk) asked, "Where are you two going? A date?"

Yoh opened his opened his mouth to speak, but Anna linked their arms together and said: "Yeah. Jealous?"

"Aw, Anna, you break my heart," Hao pretended to be hurt, "You promised you'd go on a date with me if I worked Yoh's shift this morning."

Yoh looked at Anna with wide eyes, "Anna…"

"Well, the date of the date is yet to be determined," Anna started to walk out, still linked with Yoh's arm, "In the meantime, go out with one of your other girlfriends."

Then both Yoh and Anna were out the door. Yoh unlinked their arms, "You promised to go on a date with Hao if he worked my shift?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal," she started to walk to her right.

"I see," Yoh said catching up to her. He was a little disappointed; maybe it was possible that even though they were twins, Hao was the better looking one, "I didn't know you liked Hao like that."

"I don't."

"Then why are you going on a date with him?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "We just went over this: so he could work your shift and you could get the day off."

"So you don't have those kinds of feelings for him?"

"No, of course not," Anna almost laughed, "He's still the evil, annoying boy I left in Hick Town. Besides, Hao's a playboy; he's probably not even interested."

"Hmm…" Yoh put his hands in his pockets.

"Relax, it's only a date," Anna lifted an eyebrow, "What are you so worked up about?"

"I don't trust Hao," Yoh mumbled.

"Then don't, trust _me_."

Yoh gave a little smile, "Okay."

They continued to walk the streets of Funbari. Every once and a while Yoh would point out various things, such as buildings or funny stories about this town. They didn't really have a destination until Yoh suggested that they visit his parents. They were in the area, so why not go visit them? His parents knew Anna very well and vice versa. Anna gave a little smile and willingly agreed to visit.

Yoh's parents didn't live that far from the Inn, considering the whole point of moving to Funbari was to be closer to his grandparents, who at the time, lived at the Inn. They reached the house and smiled, "Here it is."

Yoh knocked on the door and through the other side you could hear: "Coming!"

The door opened. Asakura Keiko popped her head out of from inside. Luckily, time had been good to her; she hardly had any wrinkles or grays. She basically looked the same. Keiko's face turned from a confused one to a happy-excited one, "Yoh! Oh, Miki, darling, Yoh came to visit! Oh, and you brought someone with you," Keiko looked at Anna, "Is this your girlfriend?"

"Mom!" Yoh half-laughed, "This is Anna, remember?"

"Oh my…..Kyoyama Anna?!"

"Yup," Anna nodded, "It's me, Auntie Keiko, I'm back…for a while."

"Come in, come in!" Keiko was overjoyed as she invited them in, "It's been so long!! Oh, Mikihisa! Hurry, quickly!" Keiko sat Yoh and Anna down on the sofa, "Want anything to drink, Anna-chan?"

"Oh, no thanks…" Anna gave a little smile.

"Don't be so polite! You're like family! I'll get you some tea."

Yoh laughed as his mother disappeared into the kitchen. Then his father entered, "I don't believe it! Kyoyama Anna-chan!"

"Hello Uncle Miki," Anna nodded.

"Where have you been all these years?" Mikihisa took a seat across from the two.

Keiko returned with the tea and handed it to Anna. Then she turned and sat next to her husband, fully interested to what Anna had to say.

"Oh, y'know, here and there," Anna took a sip of her tea, "We moved a lot."

"So you finally moved to Funbari," Mikihisa smiled.

"Something like that," she took another sip and looked elsewhere.

"So how is your family?" Keiko asked innocently.

Anna hesitated and Yoh started to wonder if bringing her here was the right thing to do, "They're…okay."

"So where about are you guys living?"

"Actually," Yoh butt in, "She's staying at my inn."

"_Just_ her?"

"Yeah…" Yoh avoided eye contact, "She's out here for school purposes. She's not staying with Haijime as of this moment."

"Oh, I see," Mikihisa looked at Anna, "Anna-chan's always been the smart, mature, independent-type. I bet you're handling things just fine, right?"

Anna nodded, "I like staying on my own better."

"Is that so," Keiko asked and then sighed, "You kids now-a-days! Yoh and Hao have both moved into that inn and now Anna-chan has too! I guess there's no need for us anymore, Miki!"

Mikihisa laughed, "They just need their independence, darling."

"Well it was good talking to you," Yoh said getting up.

"Wait! You just got here!" Keiko stopped them, "Stay a little while longer! I want to catch up with Anna-chan! It's been years!"

Yoh sighed as he sat back down. He looked over at Anna and gave an apologetic face. Almost like he regretted taking her here.

"Geez, Yoh! Don't act like visiting your parents is a burden!" Keiko exclaimed.

"Sorry," Yoh sighed; what did he get them into?

Keiko smiled as she looked at both Yoh and Anna sitting next to each other. They almost looked like a couple; which reminded Keiko of asking this question: "So, Anna-chan, got a boyfriend?"

Anna was taken aback a bit as she was not expecting _that_ question. Yoh, secretly, was eager to hear her answer. She took a breath and answered, "No. Not at the moment."

"Aw, how cute," Keiko giggled as she looked towards Mikihisa.

"What?" Anna and Yoh both asked in unison.

"Y'know, when you two were younger, we always thought you two would end up together," Mikihisa laughed.

"Annabelle and I would always talk about you two getting married," Keiko seemed to say with stars in her eyes.

"Mom…" Yoh sighed.

"What? You two were stuck together like glue. You were so sad when she moved away! But look, she's moved back! And you're still both together!"

Yoh gave a half-smile. He was happy to be with Anna again, but all this talk was probably annoying Anna, or at the least, embarrassing her. Yoh looked at the time, "Mom, it's getting late, we really should be going."

"Oh, okay Mr. Manager," Keiko got up to say goodbye, "If you must leave then fine."

Yoh and Anna got up to say their goodbyes. Mikihisa got up and patted his son on the back, "When did you get this tall?"

Yoh just smiled and laughed, "See ya later, Dad."

"See ya son, and don't take too long to visit again. Either you come to us, or we come to embarrass you at work. In front of your friends."

Yoh laughed, "Got'cha."

Then Mikihisa moved onto Anna and gave her a hug, "And you!! When did you become this beautiful?"

Anna gave a small, but visible smile, "It was nice seeing you again, Uncle Miki."

"Same here," Mikihisa released her from their hug, "Come back anytime, Anna-chan. And keep my boys in line."

"Will do, Uncle Miki."

"Bye, Mom," Yoh gave her a hug.

"My, Miki was right! You _have_ grown taller!" She looked at her boy, "Bring Anna-chan back to visit soon, okay?"

Yoh nodded and smiled. Anna then came to Keiko and gave her a hug, "Bye Auntie Keiko, I was glad I got to see you again."

"Ditto," she hugged Anna tightly, "Like Miki said; keep an eye out on Yoh and Hao for us. You just tell me if he misbehaves, or treats you bad, got it?"

Anna smiled and gave a little laugh, "Hear that Yoh? You'd better start behaving better."

Yoh laughed, "I think you have the wrong son, Mom."

"That's right…that Hao! Ugh! He's always the little troublemaker! Y'know he never visits anymore!! Keep an eye on him too, Anna-chan!"

"Will do," Anna nodded and then looked to Yoh.

"Well, we'll be leaving now," Yoh waved as he and Anna walked out the door. They started their way down the street while Mikihisa and Keiko stood at the doorway.

"Aren't you happy, Miki? They're finally together again. I always knew they'd end up together."

Mikihisa smiled, "Yeah. I'm glad they found each other."

"Sorry," Yoh said while walking down the street, "if they upset you."

"Not at all," Anna responded with a small smile, "They don't know about Haijime and his sons; they were just acting normal. Besides, I love your parents like they were my own. They always looked after me when we were little. They even spoiled me more than they did with you and Hao."

"You got that right," Yoh crossed his arms, "Nothing was ever your fault. It was always mine."

Anna smiled, "See? After my mother died, I saw _them_ as my parents; _not_ Haijime."

"I'm glad you think like that."

"I always ran away to your house at night. And sure, they scolded me, but it was a loving, caring scolding. They never yelled at me and no matter how many times we caused trouble, they always invited me back and treated me like a daughter."

"See? Even when you ran away, they softly spoke to you, but yelled at me, saying I should've told them that you came," Yoh laughed and it seemed as if he was going to say something further, but a voice interrupted him:

"Yoh-kun!"

"Ah, Miss Julie!" Yoh turned as he met the beautiful blue eyes of Julie Anderson.

"What are you two doing? Going on a date?" she politely asked.

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Yoh spoke in her stead, "No, we're just about to go to Pirika's house." Anna seemed a little disappointed in his answer, but said nothing in protest.

"Oh," Julie shifted her eyes to Anna, "Is this your roommate?"

Anna looked at Julie and Strawberries and Champagne met Love Spell; Brown eyes met Blue, "Yes. I'm Kyoyama Anna," she extended her hand. Julie took it and politely shook it. She opened her mouth, but Anna interrupted, "You already introduced yourself the other night, remember? You're Julie Anderson."

"Oh, right," Julie slowly removed her hand.

After seeing the awkward silence emitting from the two, Yoh decided to speak: "What are you doing out, Julie?"

"Oh, just a little shopping," she held out a big shopping bag, "But I think I'm about ready to head back."

"Oh, well we're on own way to Pirika's house which is on the way back to the inn. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure!" Julie beamed, but Anna frowned; she didn't look too happy to hear that. So they started on their merry-little way. Julie seemed especially happy to be walking alongside with Yoh.

Yoh looked down to see that Julie was struggling a little bit with her bag, so he offered: "Would you like me to carry that for you?"

"Uh, are you sure?" Julie hesitated, "If it's not too much trouble…"

"It's no trouble at all," Yoh took her bag, "I'm used to it. I used to do the heavy-duty work at the inn all the time. This bag doesn't even compare."

Julie giggled and Anna rolled her eyes. She wasn't really sure why, but she didn't seem to like Julie that much. She found Julie's presence annoying and unnecessary. It seemed like Julie loved to hog Yoh and kick Anna out of the picture. Anna used to be walking next to Yoh, but since Julie came; Anna was awkwardly in the middle. She was a little behind and Julie was a little ahead, making Julie also next to Yoh.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Julie started, "How did you to become roommates?"

"We're childhood friends," Yoh answered, "It's been nearly 8 years since we saw each other. And since she finally came back and doesn't know this town very well, she's staying with me."

"Oh, I see," Julie looked at Anna, "You're so lucky! Did you two live near each other?"

Yoh smiled and started to talk about them. Anna decided to tune them out. She could hear occasional compliments from Julie to Yoh. It made Anna roll her eyes; it was so annoying. Julie was such a suck-up. And after a while of tuning them out, Anna found that somehow they got to the point where Julie was teaching Yoh some English. Anna already knew some English, so she didn't really give a damn about the subject. She just wished that they would be at Pirika's house soon.

Anna felt out of place. Yoh and Julie looked like they were a couple. Julie was giggling and Yoh was laughing; this made her angry. This made her feel as though this Julie-girl was Anna's replacement while she was away. But it's not like Anna _chose_ to go away. No, if Anna had any choice in the matter, she would've chose to stay in Hick Town with Yoh. How could Yoh just replace Anna like that? No, Yoh wouldn't do that, would he?

"Anna, are you alright?" Yoh turned to her looking concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine. What makes you think I'm not?"

"You're walking a little slower, are you tired?"

"No, I said I was fine. How long till we get to Pirika's house?"

"Not much longer, we're actually really close. It should take less then 5 minutes."

Yoh did not lie; they were there in no time. They walked up the steps of the house and knocked on the door. Pirika came and opened the door, "There you guys are! Oh, I didn't know Julie was coming over too!"

"We just kinda ran into each other," Yoh smiled.

"Oh, I see," she glanced at Anna, "Come on in." Julie went first, then Yoh and then Anna. When Anna got to the door, Pirika whispered, "You look pretty upset, did Julie-san ruin the mood?"

Anna shook her head, "It doesn't matter."

Pirika shrugged, "Well then, hold on one moment, I'll get the uniform." As Pirika walked to her room, you could hear her apologizing, "Sorry the house is such a mess, my idiot brother never cleans up after himself!"

Yoh laughed, "Yeah that sounds like Horo-Horo."

"Ah! Here it is," Pirika said returning with the uniform in hand, "Sorry, but this one is a bit old. But you can keep this one until yours comes in."

"Are you sure?" Anna said taking it, "It looks like it's just a white-collared shirt and a black skirt. I can buy my own…"

"Oh, don't worry Anna," Pirika held out her hand, "I have another uniform I can use."

"Thank you," Anna gave a little nod.

"No worries," she smiled.

"Well, it's getting late, so we'll be on our way," Yoh nodded and smiled, "Thank you very much, the new uniforms should be in soon."

"I can't wait," Pirika said while Yoh, Anna, and Julie walked towards the door, "See you tomorrow!"

They nodded, "Bye!" Then, in the same order they came in, they left. And once again Pirika whispered to Anna, "Don't think you're done talking to me. Tomorrow we'll discuss why you're upset."

"It's nothing," Anna said trying to avoid the conversation as the followed the others out the door. Then louder Anna said: "Thank you Pirika! See you later!"

"Hmm…" Pirika crossed her arms as she saw them leaving, "Anna's definitely bothered by something…"

Once again, they were in the same positions they were before. Anna walked slower this time. She didn't care what they were talking about; she didn't want to hear it at all. It would only get her annoyed and she wasn't in the mood. This didn't go unnoticed though. Yoh watched Anna in the corner of his eye. He wanted to walk slower with Anna, but he felt that it would've been rude to Julie who was talking to him at the moment. Yoh inwardly sighed. He hoped Anna was okay.

Soon the trio reached the Inn. Yoh and Anna started their way to the B level. Julie stopped and said, "Well, I guess I'm off to my room."

"Alright," Yoh handed Julie her bag, "Here you go."

"Arigato, Yoh-kun."

"You're welcome," Yoh said in English.

Julie giggled at his accent, "Very good, Yoh-kun! I'll teach you more English later! Ja ne!"

"Ja ne!" Yoh waved as Julie walked away. Yoh glanced at Anna. He knew he couldn't just ask her "what's wrong?" because she would just answer in the usual, "nothing." Their way to the room was pure silence. It was very awkward and Yoh just put his hands in his pockets. She wasn't mad, was she? She had no to reason to be, right?

Anna walked into her room and dropped off the uniform. Knowing that Anna wouldn't discuss what was bothering her, Yoh asked, "Are you hungry?"

Anna nodded as they headed toward the dining area. It was buffet-style as usual, so they went off to get their own food. Anna finished before Yoh, so she just picked an empty table and sat at it.

"Anna-chan!"

"Go away, Hao."

"Ouch. I guess the date didn't go well? Don't worry, ours will be much better."

Anna rolled her eyes, "It wasn't a date. We visited your parents, ran into Julie, and picked up my uniform."

"Oh…third wheel, huh?"

"If you're going to talk like that…" Anna picked up her chopsticks, "…then it was me who was the third wheel."

"What? No way! I know Julie's fond of Yoh, but I didn't think Yoh—"

"Hao, are you spreading lies about me?" Yoh put his plate on the table and glared at Hao.

"No, who do you think I am?" Hao crossed his arms while Yoh sat down, "I would never do that to my little brother."

Yoh rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Yes you would, you would never admit it to my face though…"

"Oh, so I heard you visited mom and dad today, how are they?"

"Well you would know if you ever visited them."

"Hey, I'm a very busy man," Hao smirked.

"Which reminds me," Anna turned towards Hao, "Auntie Keiko told me to keep an eye on you…"

"W-what? You wouldn't tell on me, would you Anna-chan?"

"Well if you keep calling me "-chan"…" Anna smirked.

Hao rolled his eyes as he got up from the table, "You're no fun. You win this time, but remember you still owe me a date!"

"Oh," Anna pretended to sound disappointed, "You mean that didn't count?"

Hao pretended to laugh, "No, fortunately, it didn't. Don't forget!"

"You won't let me forget," Anna mumbled.

"Oh, and," Hao started to whisper to Anna, before he left, "Don't worry. I would _never _bring another woman on _our _date."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Leave already!"

Hao laughed as he walked off. Yoh looked at Anna, "I can't believe you agreed to his terms."

"Hey, you better be grateful. I'm going through all this trouble for you."

"I am grateful," Yoh gently smiled at her, "Really, I am."

Anna gave a small smile. They didn't say anything as they finished their dinner, but at least this time it wasn't an awkward silence. When they finished they decided to head to their rooms. Once entering their "home", Anna headed to her room, "I'm going to read for a bit."

"Okay, Anna, but don't forget you have to get up early tomorrow."

"Yeah, about that," she said before entering her room, "Could you wake me up? You go running around that time anyway, right?"

"Okay, we'll leave together," Yoh smiled, "If you don't come back down, Goodnight."

She nodded and entered her room, "Goodnight."

Anna eventually got bored of reading, so she decided to go to bed. There was a bathroom on her floor as well as the other one, so she didn't even bother coming down. Yoh and Anna already said their goodnights so she had no reason to go down anyway. While at the same time Anna was getting ready for bed, so was Yoh. They both laid down around the same time and eventually fell asleep around the same time too.

The annoying sound of the alarm woke up Yoh early. He reached over as he turned the alarm off. He got up slowly and rubbed his eyes. He yawned as he got out of bed and walked upstairs to wake Anna up. "Anna?" he knocked. When there was no response, he decided to say, "I'm coming in."

Anna was lying there, yet again tangled in her sheets. She had a peaceful expression on her face and he was tempted to not wake her up and just work the shift himself like he was supposed to. But he knew Anna would get mad if he worked it for her.

"Anna?" He sat on the bed. There was no response like before, so he gently shook her a bit.

Her eyes twitched and she moaned. She rubbed her face against the pillow and then hid her face in it.

"If you want, I'll work the shift," Yoh offered, "It's supposed to be mine anyway."

"No," Anna lifted her head up. Her hair was scattered across her face and with one quick swoop of her hand she pushed the hairs back, "It's not your shift anymore, it's _mine_."

Yoh laughed and got up, "Okay. Well then you'd better start getting ready. You don't want to be late for your first day."

Yoh started to leave, but Anna stopped him, "Yoh. Don't go easy on me, okay? If I'm late too many times or if I do something wrong, fire me."

"That won't happen, Anna," Yoh continued before Anna could protest, "Not as long as I'm your roommate, it won't. I won't let you be late, and I'll keep you in line so you won't do anything wrong."

Yoh gave a quick smile and for a second, Anna did too. Then Yoh walked out the door and left Anna alone to get dressed and ready. Yoh got ready rather quickly since he was only going to go run. While he was waiting for Anna, he decided to do some stretches. When he was just about done, Anna came done the stairs. She was dressed in the uniform and her hair was pulled back into a loose bun.

Yoh smiled, "Ready?"

"If you are," she simply responded.

He nodded and they made their way to the lobby area. No one was really up and about yet; just the people that worked early in the morning. Yoh looked at Anna, "Your hair looks really good pulled back."

"Don't get used to it," Anna said while tucking a loose strand behind her ear, "I just thought it looked "more professional" this way. And I didn't really have time to do it properly."

"Sometimes you'd wear your hair in a pony-tail when we were little," he said as they reached the front desk.

"You always say 'when we were little'," Anna turned towards him, "We're not little any more."

"I know," Yoh flashed a small yet sad smile, "But we were together when we were little. At this point, that's all we have." Anna's eyes slightly widened, but Yoh continued, "I have to go now. I think I'm really close to how I used to be. If I keep at it, I know I'll be fast again!"

Anna nodded as Yoh ran out the main door for his training. Anna entered the front desk area. What Yoh said remained in her head. Was there a future in store for them if they only had a past? She didn't know why, but this depressed her ever-so-slightly. She decided to ignore that feeling and looked down at the notepads in front of her. She picked up a pen and started to doodle on one of them. It was sure a boring morning.

An hour had passed and not a single customer. Anna sighed; she couldn't say she didn't expect this. The only hard part about working the morning shift is staying awake. But Anna would absolutely not fall asleep, even if nobody was here. She was not like Horo-Horo. But gradually, more and more people started to get up. At first there were only about 5 up, but now there was more than half up and the kitchen started to open. She watched the people enter the dining area and then shortly after, leave to go to work.

"Oh!" Anna heard coming from the opposite side of the main door. She turned her head to find Julie, "Ohayo Anna-san."

"Good Morning Miss Julia," Anna said in English.

"You speak English well," Julie said while walking up to the front desk, "But…um, it's _Julie_."

"Right, _Julie_."

Julie looked around, "Where's Yoh?"

Anna gave a dull look and leaned her head on her hand, "He's not here."

"But he usually works this shift on Mondays…"

"Well I'm working here now. It's my shift for today."

"Oh I see," Julie seemed a little disappointed, but then she seemed to brighten up a bit, "Is he off running?"

Anna was a little surprised that Julie knew this, "Yup."

"Oh, he's so good at it!" Julie exclaimed, "He's so fast! And he really loves doing it; you can tell by his expression! He looks so relaxed and calm, don't you agree?"

"I," Anna looked away, "I wouldn't know…I've never seen him run…"

"What? But aren't you supposedly one of his closest friends?"

"What was that? I couldn't understand," Anna lied. She didn't want to hear what Julie had to say, "Your Japanese isn't that good."

"Oh…gomen," Julie looked a little hurt.

"So, what did you say before?"

"Oh, never mind," Julie shook her head, "It was nothing."

"I see…" Anna said slowly and firmly, but dully looked at Julie.

"W-well, uh," Julie felt a little nervous at Anna's gaze, "D-do you know when he'll be back…?"

"Nope."

"How long has he been out?"

Anna rolled her eyes and said in English, "I don't know."

"Oh, okay," Julie looked down and also said in English, "I'm sorry to bother you."

Anna's English wasn't perfect, so she only caught the "I'm sorry" part, but she guessed the gist of it. And just when it seemed Julie was going to leave, Yoh entered, "Whoo! That was great! How's work, Anna?"

"Ah! Ohayo Yoh-kun!" Julie turned to him.

"Oh, Good Morning Miss Julie," he said in English, "Hello, Anna."

"Hi," Anna still with her same bored expression on her face.

"What's wrong, Anna," Yoh walked to the front desk, "Bored?"

"Not a single customer."

"Well at least Julie was here to keep you company," Yoh smiled and Julie smiled too.

Anna decided to bite her tongue so she wouldn't say something insulting about Julie. If she did, Yoh would probably give her the look that translated to "behave". So Anna just gave off a fake smile and nodded while saying, "Julie was actually waiting for you."

"You were?" Yoh looked at Julie.

Julie blushed, "Uh, well, yes."

"What is it?"

"I would like to ask you a favor…"

"Oh, sure," Yoh smiled, "Say, Julie, have you eaten yet?"

She shook her head and Anna lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm really hungry…so how about we discuss what needs to be done at the dining area?" Yoh's stomach growled.

Anna rolled her eyes as Julie laughed, "Sure thing Yoh-kun."

"Thanks. I'm sorry."

"No, it's not a problem, I'm hungry too," Julie said while turning to leave to the dining area.

Yoh turned to follow Julie, but before he did, he flashed Anna a smile, "Don't worry."

At this Anna lifted her head off of her hand as she saw them walk off, "What does he mean by that?"

"Oi, Anna-chan!" Anna knew this phrase and voice too well.

Anna rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Yoh come back…"

"Why, Anna-chan," Hao approached the front desk, "You look absolutely beautiful today! Why don't you wear your hair like that every day?"

"Hello, Hao," Anna said reluctantly.

"Why are you at the front desk?"

"I'm working," Anna stood up so he could see her blouse and a little of her skirt, "That's why my hair's like this."

"Oh, but why are you working so soon?" Hao had a questioning look on his face, "This is Yoh's shift. And I didn't see you on the schedule for another week or so."

"I took over his shift," Anna simply said, "I decided that working two shifts in one day is too much for Yoh; considering he does everything around here."

"Well Yoh's the one who insists on doing it himself," Hao crossed his arms, "So I'll let him."

"He doesn't _insist_, he just _offers_. Learn to tell the difference and help him out once in a while."

"You're such a softie on Yoh. If it were me, you'd probably say: "If that's what he wants, let him do it"," Hao leaned on the front desk, "Isn't that right?"

"It's not that I'm a softie," Anna crossed her arms, "It's that I have no sympathy for you."

"Ain't that the truth?" Hao mumbled, "But you only have sympathy for Yoh."

"No, I show it to Pirika and Tamao too."

"Yeah, but they're your friends."

"And they show kindness towards me, though I don't know if you'll ever learn what it is."

"Tch. Like _you_ know what that is."

"I know what it is; I just find it tiring to use it on someone who has never shown me kindness, or someone who doesn't deserve it."

"Hey, I've shown you nothing _but_ kindness! That's why we're going on that date!"

"You call that kindness? Ha! You only set that date in exchange for working Yoh's shift."

"It was kindness, trust me," Hao said uncrossing his arms, "You'll enjoy a date with me."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Joy. I can't wait."

"Well," Hao hit the desk, "I have to be going now. I have work later and I want to enjoy my free-time now. Ja ne, Anna-chan."

"Go away already."

He laughed as left walked away. Anna was alone again. There was not a single customer. She didn't really sweat it though, it was still early and it was only her first day.

"Hey Anna."

Anna turned, "Yoh? I thought you were eating breakfast with Miss Julia."

"Julie," Yoh corrected, "And we finished."

"So what did she want?"

"She wanted some help on her Japanese."

"She speaks Japanese just fine," Anna lied.

"That's what I think, but she's going to college here, so she wants it to be better."

"I see…" Anna said through half-gritted teeth. She just created a reason for Yoh and Julie to be together more.

"Here," Yoh handed Anna a bagel and a cereal bar.

"What's this for?"

"I'm sorry. We didn't get a chance to eat breakfast this morning and then I came back from running and ate. You didn't. You must be hungry, that's why I got it for you."

"Is this why you said, 'Don't worry'?" Anna took the food.

"Uh-huh," he smiled and nodded, "If no one's here to help you out and relieve you for your break within the next hour and a half, I'll bring you another snack. Either that or I'll relieve you while you take a break."

"No," she said taking a piece of the bagel, "I don't want your help. I told you that this morning. Don't baby me."

"Alright Anna," Yoh gave another smile, "Others will be coming soon to help out. We only have one person work the desk in the morning because their usually isn't any costumers."

"I figured as much. Now go enjoy your day. Before you know it, you'll have to work yourself."

"Alright then, I'll see you later," Yoh brought a hand up in a short wave and walked away.

Anna was once again alone. She leaned her head on her hand and let out a soft sigh. She didn't want to feel this way. She didn't know why, but the words Yoh had said earlier still lingered and nagged her at the back of her mind. She didn't really know Yoh at all anymore, and she used to be the person who knew him the most. Now it was _Julie_ who knew him. Anna felt a little replaced. But then she looked down at her bagel. She gave a soft smile; Yoh wouldn't do that. Not to her; his best friend.

_Something was bothering Anna. I didn't know for sure, but I just had this feeling. But even though I had the feeling, that didn't mean it was true and it didn't tell me what it was either. Maybe Hao said something that pissed her off and that ruined her mood? I did see Hao walking away from the direction of the front desk…maybe he did? I guess I should ask her. That is, if she'll answer. Anna was so stubborn, but if it was really serious, and it was really bothering her, I'm sure she'll tell me, right?_

Yoh entered his home and grabbed his bath supplies. A nice bath after running and before work sounded so good, so he wasn't going to argue if that was his desire. So he went and took his time. When he was done, he walked back to the B level. He was wearing his uniform, but decided not to button it or tuck it in yet. As he walked downstairs he looked at the time, "Anna should get off of work soon."

Anna came in and walked down the stairs. She un-tucked her shirt and unbuttoned a few buttons like Yoh usually does (she's wearing a shirt under), "Tadaima."

Yoh was lying on the couch watching the television. He lifted his head up and Anna walked towards the couch, "Oakeri."

"Scoot over," she said as she went to sit next to him. Yoh sat up and Anna sat on her legs, like she usually does. She let out a relaxed sigh as she took her hair down.

"Aw, why'd you do that?"

"What?" She shook her hair out a bit.

"Why'd you let your hair down?"

"Because work's over, I don't need it up anymore."

"But it looked so nice up."

"Your sense of style is off then. It was messy and hairs were falling out from it."

"But it looked good like that. Messy buns always looked good on you."

"Well it's my hair not yours," she started to comb it with her fingers, "I'll do what I want with it."

"Typical answer from you," Yoh laughed as he handed her the remote.

She took it, "Seriously, I don't even know why you try when you already know the outcome."

Yoh laughed, "I'm starting to wonder myself."

Anna changed the station to her program usually come on. Yoh no longer protested in watching it as he reluctantly found that he _enjoyed_ the show. Now it became a routine; every weekday about this time they'd sit and watch the show.

Yoh smiled as he looked at her. She looked a bit tired though. She wasn't used to waking up early and working, "Anna, if you'd like, you can lie down."

"I don't want you to have to get up."

"Then I won't," Yoh smiled, "I don't mind."

They had been living together for almost a month now, she no longer felt uncomfortable, so she lied down; her feet rested on Yoh's lap, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Nope," he said resting his hands on her ankles, "Not if you don't."

"Alright then," she turned her attention to the TV, "The show's started. Be quiet now."

Yoh inwardly laughed as he turned his attention to the TV. They watched the show quietly, but intently. As the show was ending, Yoh looked down at Anna's feet. He couldn't help it anymore; he just had to do it:

He had to tickle her.

"YOH!" Anna screamed as she tickled her feet. Yoh laughed, but Anna didn't find it to be funny, so, as Yoh should've expected, he got kicked him the face, "How DARE you!" She said sitting up.

Even thought Yoh got kicked in the face, he still laughed, "You won't ever admit it, but you're the most ticklish person I know."

Anna was mad; she hated being tickled, "I can't believe you did that! I trusted you!"

"Hey, hey, don't act like I _betrayed_ you! I never said I wasn't gunna do that and you never told me not to!"

"But still! You should know!"

"I can't read your mind! I just wanted to know if you were still ticklish!"

Anna glared and crossed her arms, "What a jerk! Never do it again!"

"Okay, Anna," Yoh got up, "I promise I won't do it again if you ask me not to before-hand, alright?" Yoh started to leave.

"H-hey," Anna turned towards him, "That's not good enough!"

"It'll have to be," Yoh started up the stairs, "I gotta go or I'll be late!"

"Don't think I'm done with you!" Anna yelled as he disappeared on the B 2 level.

"Hai, hai," Yoh laughed as he left.

Anna glared at the upper level for a while until she heard the door slide shut. Seconds later her glare melted down. And a reluctant smile graced her lips as she looked at her feet. She rubbed them, Yoh hasn't changed very much. He still seemed like a little boy. Memories of Yoh tickling her came flooding into her mind. Anna would always get angry and slap him or something, but he never stopped. She couldn't expect him to make a promise to never tickle her again. Yoh always kept his promises; so she wouldn't make him make that one. Anna closed her eyes and shook her head; maybe she _was_ getting soft.

Yoh smiled as he walked to the front desk. It was fun tickling Anna. Sure she'll be mad now, but she'll get over it. She always did. And even thought she won't admit it; he knows she liked it. He knew, today was going to be a good day.

_Anna was probably pissed right now, but I know by the time I come home, she'll be cooled off. Besides, I think she was pretty bothered today by something, and that might've relieved her of it; at least for a bit. I know she outwardly hates it, but I couldn't help but do it. I think she's just afraid of laughing after all this time. I haven't hard a real laugh from her in who-knows-how-long. Tickling her might get one out of her. But I know, as of right now, she won't let that happen. She's been through too much and she's afraid to let her emotions show. I think she feels that if she let them loose, she'll be too weak. Many people would probably __think that that logic was weird, but I think she's perfectly in the right mind._

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**I hope you liked that. This chapter wasn't exactly planned as much as the others. Actually to confess, I've been writing this story for a while now in my notebooks during class.** So I guess I should thank math class for giving me the time to write this…hahaha. **But what I've been doing is transferring it to the computer. And changing a few things around, like for instance, Julie Anderson was supposed to be an old bothersome lady named Linda Robinson…and look how that turned out! Haha. But I've only really written up to this chapter…so I'm a little afraid now. But I will try my very best to not disappoint you!! You guys mean so much to me!! **

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** again, a week. The next chapter's looking to be on the shorter side (sorry), but at least it will come to you sooner!

**Please review!! Like I've said so many times before, it encourages me so much! It brightens up my whole day, seriously. I do a happy little dance and my cousin looks at my weirdly, but I don't care. So please click the purple button and leave just a few kind words?**

**Until next time: Ja ne! **


	6. A Sickness

Yups, still with the babysitting…hmm….but! At least this chapter came in quicker! Unfortunately, though, that means this chapter is a little on the short side. But its still pretty long…y'know I'm not even sure if it's possible for me to write a 2 page or 4 page chapter…I always write more than 10…But I should really stop rambling on and on about that because you guys said you don't mind, so thank you for that : )

Oh and **there's one thing I forgot to do in this chapter…and you'll probably realize it when you're done with the chapter. But I apologize in advance, I totally forgot and the chapter just followed easier the way I wrote it. And ugh, I'm really sorry…I couldn't think of a chapter title…so I'm stuck with this.**

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews!! **

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 5:

"A Sickness"

_It had now been about a month and a half since Anna came to live with me. She's coming along great too. The "wall" around her seemed to be slowly coming down. She was starting to act like she used to back in school. She was starting to get comfortable and that somehow made me feel unusually content. Sure Anna wasn't at her social peak, but Anna was never very social anyway. I knew that she was happy. I didn't just "hope" that, I knew that._

_She's been working here for about a half-a-month. She's really got a knack for it too. She says being an Inn Hostess is fun, and she brings in a lot of customers for the Onsen. But most of the customers are boys, so it makes me wonder. Hao says it's because she's cute, so the boys flock to her and believe what she says. I…_guess_ that's all right, I mean she's getting more customers, right? _

"Yoh?" Anna said getting his attention, "Just, what exactly are we doing again?"

"We're going to paint some signs," Yoh smiled, "So make sure you're dressed in some old clothes that you don't mind getting paint on. If you want, you can borrow some of my old pants."

"Okay, thanks," she said as Yoh handed her a pair. Then she left to change. While she changed, so did Yoh. He changed in his old clothes, which was some baggy faded pants and an old white wife-beater. Anna came down stairs wearing a pair of Yoh's faded pants and a black tank-top that didn't cover her belly button, she was also wearing a red bandana, "So who's taking the day off to paint with us?"

"Let's see, Ren, Pirika, Horo-Horo and Tamao will be joining us later on," Yoh said getting a jacket out, "Here. Can you hold this?"

"Why?"

"W-well," Yoh gave a sheepish grin, "It might rain today."

"What? Why the hell are we painting outside when it might rain?"

"Well, I didn't know it would rain when I took the day off for us," Yoh scratched his head, "Besides, it looks pretty nice outside, I don't think it'll rain."

"Hmm," Anna looked at him skeptically as she tied the jacket around her waist.

After he made sure that they were ready, Yoh and Anna walked outside to where the painting would take place. There, Horo-Horo, Pirika, and Ren were. They were already opening the paint and deciding on what colors to use.

"Well, there's a plus to this," Anna said standing with her hands on her hips, "Hao isn't here."

Yoh laughed, "You'd break Hao's heart if he heard you."

"What he doesn't hear won't hurt him."

"He's probably inside sneezing at this very moment."

Anna just shrugged, but little did she know; he really was sneezing.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Pirika, "Lyserg was kind enough to draw out a couple of signs for us. Now all we have to do is paint them!"

"Alright!" Horo-Horo shouted, "Less work for us!"

"Don't be an idiot, it's still going to be hard," Ren crossed his arms, "Try not to screw up, there's no second chances."

"Aw, Ren, don't ruin the moment," Horo-Horo sulked.

"Guys, don't start," Pirika picked up a paint brush, "Let's try to finish as quickly as we can. I heard it was going to rain today."

"Great job, Yoh," Ren uncrossed his arms, "Next time check the weather before you schedule a day to paint."

"I'm sorry," Yoh gave a sheepish smile, "I'll check next time for sure."

After picking a color scheme, they got started. It probably shouldn't have taken so long, but each of them were afraid to mess up, so they took their time. Painting wasn't as easy as they had thought and after about an hour and a half, Tamao had finally come over with some snacks. So they decided to take a break.

"How many signs have we got done?" asked Yoh.

"Only two and a half," Horo-Horo said, "Can you believe that? There's 5 of us, and in an hour and a half, we only have two and a half done."

"Out of how many?" asked Tamao.

"Seven," Ren crossed his arms, "And it seems like each sign takes us a half hour. So will this take us three and a half hours?"

"Maybe more than that…" Yoh said looking at the sky, "It's starting to get cloudy."

"I hope it doesn't rain," Pirika said looking at the sky as well, "We're all out here in short-sleeves or sleeveless clothes. And think about all the hard work we just did…"

"If it does just so happen to start raining," Anna started, "We should, as quickly as possible, take the signs inside."

They all nodded in agreement and decided that it would be best to get started again. They all got up and got their paint brushes ready and went to their signs. Ren, Pirika and Horo-Horo were on one, and Yoh, Anna and Tamao were on another. They figured that with these numbers, they could get more things done.

"Yoh! Watch it!" Anna glared as Yoh got some red paint on her arm.

"Ah, I'm sorry," Yoh smiled.

Anna took the blue that was on her paint brush and put some on his face.

"A-Anna!"

"Now we're even."

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Doesn't matter," she said returning to painting the sign, "You still did it."

Tamao started to giggle and Yoh looked at her, which made her laugh even more.

"Hey…just what are you laughing at?"

"Your…your…" Tamao started to laugh harder, "…face!!"

Yoh supposed he looked pretty ridiculous with a blue mark on his face. Yoh had his paint brush ready though, "Oh, yeah?" Yoh put a small mark on Tamao's face, "Who's face is hilarious now?"

"Yoh-kun!" Tamao shouted; it was driving her crazy now that she couldn't see it. Tamao got her paint brush full of white paint and struck his other cheek. Now his had white on his right cheek and blue on his left.

Anna smirked, "Didn't see that one coming, did you Yoh? Who ever thought shy little Tamao would do that?"

"Hmph," Yoh smirked as his paint brush _just-so-happened_ to graze her face, "Didn't see _that one_ coming either, huh?"

"YOH!" Anna yelled, "You're lucky I don't dump your face in that paint bucket!!"

Yoh started to laugh and Tamao let out little giggles (as to not upset Anna). Then Yoh calmed down a bit, "Okay, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to _the first time_. But we really need to get back to work. Truce?"

"Hmm..." Anna leaned closer to Yoh and gently put her paint brush to his nose, leaving an annoying spot he couldn't see, "Truce."

"Argh, Anna!"

"Hey, you started it, I finished it."

Yoh gave a small laugh as he continued to paint. The tip of his nose tingled and he could see a little blue on it. He tried wiping it off, but it didn't quite work. It just spread a little. After a while, he heard Tamao giggling and saw Anna smirking. Yoh tried to laugh it off "You're lucky we called truce."

"Oh?" Anna said still smirking, "I think it's_ you_ that is lucky we called truce."

Yoh laughed, "You're probably right."

After about another hour, they finally had 4 signs done, which meant they only had 3 more to do. But before continuing on, they decided to take a little break while most of the signs were drying. Whilst on their break, they started to discuss where they should hang the signs up.

"Yoh," Ren said, "Since you're the tallest, you lift the sign next to the wall and we'll see if it looks good or not."

Yoh grabbed a dry sign and held it over his head as best he could.

"Uh," Pirika had a thoughtful expression on her face, "It needs to be higher."

Yoh got on his tip-toes.

Pirika shook her head, "It still doesn't look good there. It needs to be higher to look good."

"Well then," Horo-Horo pointed his thumb to Anna, "Have her get on his shoulders. She's the tallest girl."

"Will…that be safe?" Tamao asked cautiously.

"Of course it would be," Horo-Horo said confidently.

"Well it's up to Anna," Pirika slowly looked over to Anna.

"And Yoh," Ren looked to Yoh.

"Well I don't mind," shrugged Yoh, "I think it's more if Anna trusts me."

Anna crossed her arms. Of course she trusts him, it's just it wouldn't be the most comfortable thing to do, "I…I guess."

After a little bit of awkwardness, Anna had finally somehow gotten on Yoh's shoulders, without either of them getting hurt. Yoh had knelt down and Anna had wobbly gotten on, and then Yoh slowly and cautiously tried to stand up. Then as he stood up, Anna breathed out a little, "Whoa…"

"Are you alright?" Yoh asked as he securely held onto her and tried to look up at her. Yoh's hair was tickling her belly, and his hands were firmly on her thighs.

"Y-yeah," Anna seemed a little nervous, but then it changed to a firmer tone, "I'll never forgive you if you let me fall!"

Yoh laughed a little, "Now, why would I do that?"

"Ok, be careful…" Pirika said as Ren handed Anna the sign.

Anna carefully picked up the sign and held it right about where Yoh's face was, "Tell me where to put it."

"Okay, a little higher," Pirika put a hand on her hip and the other was signaling "up".

"Here?"

"Just a little more."

"Now?"

"Ah, a little more—perfect!" Pirika clapped her hands, "That'll do! The sign looks perfect there, doesn't it?"

Tamao nodded while Horo-Horo gave a little confident laugh, "It doesn't look bad at all! We did a really good job!"

"But it was all thanks to Pirika," Ren crossed his arms, "Don't act like you designed them or did the color scheme. If it was up to you, these signs would look like crap."

Then Horo-Horo and Ren started to fight and Anna started to wobble a bit. She was feeling rather…_uncomfortable,_ having Yoh carry her like this, and especially _hold her_ like this. Besides, it wasn't like the sign was very light either.

"Anna, are you okay?" Yoh held a little tighter as she wobbled a little.

"Argh," Anna gave a little frustrated sigh, "Excuse me? Are we done here?"

"Oh," Horo-Horo and Ren stopped fighting and Tamao stepped a little closer, "I think it's all right if you come down now."

Anna handed Tamao the sign and Anna hesitated. How was she going to get down? Then she felt something wet drop on her head. She put her on hand on top of Yoh's head and the other onto Yoh's shoulder as she looked up.

"Huh?" Yoh looked slightly up when he felt Anna's hands on him. When she looked up and fell slightly back and she gasped, but Yoh quickly kept the balance, "What's wrong, Anna?"

She felt a drop on her cheek, "…Rain…"

"Rain?" Yoh looked up a bit and felt a drop fall on his nose, "Oh no…"

The rain started to pick up its pace and everyone frantically tried to cover the paint. Horo-Horo started to somewhat panic, "After all this hard work!!"

"Shut up and get this stuff inside before it starts to pour!" Ren shouted while covering up the paint.

Yoh carefully, yet quickly knelt down and helped Anna get down from his shoulders. He took his hands off her thighs and she used his hands to hold onto while she got off. After she got off Yoh stood up and point to her waist, "It's time to wear that jacket."

"But it's yours," Anna untied it from her waist, "You brought it for you."

"Yeah, but you've been holding it, you deserve to wear it."

"But it's yours!"

"You wear the jacket," he put it on her shoulders; "I don't want you getting sick."

"You'll get sick too," she said putting her hands on the jacket.

"Don't worry about me," Yoh looked towards the scrabbling people and saw a board lying there, "Ah! We need to pick it up before it gets too wet!"

Anna sighed as she put her arms through the sleeves of the jacket and followed Yoh to where the board was lying, "I'll help too."

"Are you sure? You don't have to…" Yoh asked while bending down to pick up the board.

"Yes, quit doing everything yourself," she bent down as well.

They lifted the board over their heads to help protect them from the rain. "Great," Yoh mumbled, "Now we're going to have to wait until it's dry to paint again."

"Don't worry," she looked over to Yoh, "We don't need the signs that bad, plus, we've already got half of the signs done anyway."

He laughed a "Yeah, you're right." Then he turned to the rest of the group, "Hey, guys! Don't worry I'll get this other stuff! You guys just go inside and figure out where to put all this stuff!"

Yoh and Anna both heard various forms of okay. Anna somewhat rolled her eyes as she looked at Yoh. He was looking the other way towards the rest of the group. His hair was somewhat wet and dripping down onto his arms. It was the first time she had ever really seen or paid any attention to his muscles before; she didn't even notice how strong he was. Carrying her was probably a breeze. He did say that he knows how to defend himself and he was used to carrying things like this. Yoh was obviously not the cute_ little_ boy Anna once knew. He was now a handsome muscular young man.

"Anna? Are you all right? Your face is all red."

"I-I'm fine!" Anna looked away. She didn't even realize she was blushing.

"I hope you're not getting sick!" Yoh lifted the board with one hand and used the other to feel Anna's forehead.

"Stop," Anna shook her head to get his hand off, "Let's hurry and get inside so I _don't_ get sick!"

"Oh, r-right," he removed his hand from her forehead and they started to walk towards the inn.

"Besides, worry about yourself," the blush started to disappear, "You're only in a wife-beater. If anyone's going to get sick, it's you."

"Don't say that, Anna," Yoh's eyebrows furrowed, "Now you got me scared; you're always right…"

"You probably just jinxed yourself," she said as they finally got to the doors.

They got inside and put the board down. The others started to prop the signs up so that they wouldn't get the floors wet. Yoh signaled the others to come and help out with the board while he said, "I'm going back outside to get the paint and to see if there's anything else that needs to get inside."

They all nodded except for Anna. Anna sighed while Yoh went outside and she followed him, "You're determined to get sick, aren't you?"

"No, I just don't want anyone else to get sick. You should probably get back inside."

"No, I'm helping," she said while picking up some paint, "But hurry up."

Yoh nodded, "Alright."

After carrying the paint in, she looked back at Yoh who was still out there. She shivered. If she was wearing a jacket, and she shivered, how cold is Yoh? It seemed like he was taking his time picking everything up. It was really pouring and Yoh wasn't going fast enough for her taste, "Yoh! Come inside now! You're soaked! You can't even tell that you're wearing a shirt anymore!"

"Alright, alright," he said while grabbing just a few more things, "I'm coming!"

Yoh entered the inn dripping wet. As he put the stuff in his arms down, Anna observed his state and backed away slightly, "Uh! You're soaking wet! You're dripping everywhere!"

Yoh laughed as he stuck his head out the door and shook his hair out like a dog, "Brr…its cold!!"

"Yoh!" Anna said a little disgustedly as she got wet a little.

"Here, Yoh," Tamao approached Yoh, handing him a blanket, "We got you this in exchange for doing all the outside work. Sorry."

"No, no, it's fine!" Yoh smiled.

Anna shivered, "Let's hurry and get to our room so we can change!"

They quickly walked to the B level. Upon entering, Anna rushed to the room and changed into much warmer clothes. Yoh went to the bathroom downstairs and towel dried his hair and changed into warmer clothes as well. When Anna was done, she came down the stairs sneezing.

"Bless you," Yoh said as he heard her sniff, "Say, how about we take a nice warm bath?"

"Are you kidding? The Private one's probably got a line by now."

"You can't use the public one?"

"No," Anna crossed her arms, "And before you ask why: It's because I don't want my scars to be the topic of gossip."

"Oh, I see," Yoh said slowly, "But taking a nice hot bath will make you warmer, so I think it's worth the wait!"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Fine. Meet me upstairs."

Yoh smiled. After he gathered up his bath supplies, he met Anna upstairs and they made their way to the bath house. As luck would have it, the private baths weren't as full as they thought. It seems as though everyone was too cold to wait in line. So Yoh and Anna went their separate ways and decided to meet back outside of the bath house area.

Yoh came out first and patiently waited for Anna. He wondered when she had gotten in and if she's been in there long. Luckily she didn't take _too_ long. She walked over to Yoh and he smiled, "Ready?"

Anna merely nodded and followed Yoh back to their rooms. She felt warmer, but she was still rather cold and she could feel a headache coming on. She wondered how Yoh felt. If anything, he should get sick, unless he had one hell of an immunity system.

Once entering their home, Yoh decided that he was going to make some Hot Chocolate and asked Anna if she'd like some. She nodded and as he headed towards the kitchen, he said, "If you want, you can pull out the bed and we can lay in it."

Anna didn't really give it much thought, but she nodded and pulled it out anyway. She could hear Yoh sneeze a couple of time from the kitchen and she shook her head; he was getting sick. When she was done making the bed, she hopped in and got under the covers. She shivered as she pulled them closer to her.

"Here," Yoh said as he entered the room. Anna lifted her head as he made his way to the 'bed', "Ah, you have the right idea!"

Anna sat up as she took the cup and scooted over so Yoh could sit. He looked at her and smiled. Then he lay on his stomach, facing the television. Anna soon followed him and pulled the covers over them. It was really quiet. The television wasn't on, and they could only hear the pouring rain. For once, Anna's soap opera slipped her mind.

Yoh smiled as he took a sip of his hot chocolate, "It's nice, listening to the rain, don't you think?"

"Yeah," she said sipping her drink, "Do you think we'll be sick tomorrow?"

"Hm. Maybe."

"Thanks, Yoh. It's just what I wanted, to be sick," Anna said sarcastically.

"You didn't have to help me!"

"Yes! Someone had to help you! Quit trying to do everything on your own!"

"But I'm used to it," Yoh almost whispered as he looked at his Hot Chocolate. Then he looked at Anna, "More importantly, are you feeling sick?"

"Um…" Yoh scooted closer to check her temperature. He put his hand on her forehead gently. He pushed away a few strands of her hair and his cold hand made contact with her warm forehead. This action made her jump a little. He put his other hand on his forehead and leaned even closer.

Anna got the chills as Yoh put his forehead on hers. She started to fear that she was blushing, "W-what are you doing?"

"I can't tell…" he focused on her forehead.

"Idiot. We're probably the same temperature," Anna tried to break away, "We're probably both sick."

"Hmm, maybe you're right," he slowly backed away and took his hand off her forehead, "Oh, your face is red."

Anna buried her head in the sheets of the bed, "I _am_ sick."

"I'm sorry," Yoh took a sip of his Hot Chocolate, "Are you cold? Do you need another blanket?"

"No," she lifted her head so her chin rested on the sheets, "You're probably sick too. You probably won't feel it now, but I bet you anything you are."

"Great. I probably am," he rested his chin on the sheets as well; "I'm kinda tired. Are you?"

Anna nodded, "Yeah, a little."

"Whadda'ya say we take a nap?"

Anna laid her head down a breathed an, "Okay."

After a little while, both Anna and Yoh got up to take their cups into the kitchen.

"Great," Anna put a hand to her forehead, "I'm starting to get a headache."

"Well, if you don't mind," Yoh made his way to his bed, "You can sleep with me."

Anna paused.

Yoh rolled his eyes, "I meant sleep in the same bed."

"I know what you meant," Anna paused to think, "I…I guess."

"Okay," Yoh hopped in bed and Anna slowly approached it, "What's wrong?"

Anna opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Yoh smiled as he lifted the covers and invited her in like he used to, "You can trust me."

"I…I do. It's just…" Anna slowly got in and Yoh put the sheet over her, "…really nostalgic."

Yoh gave her a gentle smile. Not his normal goofy smile, but the warm, kind, soothing smile that he only showed Anna, "Yeah, takes me back."

Anna gave a warm smile that she only shows Yoh, "At least this time I didn't have to climb through a window."

"And Hao's not here to complain," Yoh closed his eyes. He then, gently, like he used to, said: "Goodnight, Anna."

For some reason, that made Anna's heart flutter. She smiled as she looked at his peaceful "sleeping face". This time there was nothing to fear. She didn't have to worry about Haijime or Kyosuke or anyone. Yoh was with her, and she could finally fall asleep peacefully. She closed her eyes and fell asleep with a soft smile on her face.

Yoh woke up freezing. It was already dark and if he had to guess, he'd say it was around 10 P.M. He could still hear the rain and he was shivering. He looked over at Anna who was still sleeping and shivering slightly. Yoh slowly got up and the room was spinning and his head was pounding. He felt his head. It was burning, but he was freezing. He woozily went to the closet to get out the extra blankets.

He coughed a few times as he put the blankets over the other sheets and slid in the bed. He was still so cold, but not as quite as he was before; his shivering stopped. He felt extremely exhausted as he looked over at Anna. He could hear her soft breaths, "You're right again, Anna. I'm sick."

She didn't respond and she probably didn't hear. She just kept sleeping and breathed softly while clutching onto the sheets. Yoh reached over and touched her forehead. Her body jumped a little bit, but she didn't wake up, she just mumbled something under her breath. Yoh frowned as he gently caressed her cheek, "I'm sorry I got you sick."

Anna got the chills at Yoh's touch. Yoh, still frowning, reluctantly removed his hand from her soft face. He pulled the covers over her more and her body seemed more relaxed. Yoh just stared at her. He was so tired and his head was pounding, but sleep wouldn't take over him. He could do nothing but stare at Anna and hope that soon he'd fall asleep.

_I remember from when we were little that when of us had trouble sleeping; we'd stare at each other. I know it sounds weird, but seeing her relax, relaxed me. I'd usually fall asleep before she did, but in the off chance that I woke up in the middle of the night, I'd just stare at her. So many things were going through my mind at that time. Why was she so afraid at night? Why did her mother marry Haijime, even though she was obviously unhappy? Why was Anna always running away? At that time, none of those questions were answered until long after. But now I didn't have to worry. Even if Kyosuke was still after her, the likelihood of him finding her is slim and I would protect her no matter what._

_A sad, yet nostalgic smile was placed on my lips. She has grown so much. She hadn't changed much, but even if she won't admit it, she was much happier here. She'll probably be mad at me tomorrow now that we're both sick. But by the way she was sleeping s peacefully, she didn't look too sick. I couldn't help myself; I just had to scoot closer. Our foreheads touched for a little while. For some reason, hers cooled mine down a bit._

"…Yoh…" _she whispered as she got the slight chills._

_I smiled and scooted back a little,_ "Goodnight Anna."

_She wasn't awake, but I know she heard me because a small smile graced her lips._

The next day, Yoh woke up with a start. His stomach was twisting and turning; he could feel yesterday's snack traveling up his throat. He jumped out of bed and covered his mouth; he wasn't sure he was going to make it. As he recklessly got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, he slightly crashed into a few things and knocked a few things over. He barely made it to the bathroom.

Yoh had no time to close the door. Anna had heard all the disgusting and vial noises coming from the bathroom. She woke up and rubbed her eyes. She looked towards the bathroom as she sat up. She could now hear the water and Yoh rinsing out his mouth. Then she could hear Yoh mumble, "_Shit…_" Yoh didn't strike Anna as a curser, so he must be feeling pretty sick if he did. Anna got up and made her way to the bathroom.

"Yoh? Are you all right?" Anna peeked in; it smelled horrible.

"I, uh, missed a little," Yoh gave a sheepish smile.

"Ew, Yoh," Anna backed away and covered her nose, "I'll get you a towel."

"Thanks," he mumbled. He leaned his head on the sink and closed his eyes; his head pounded. _Crap. Here it comes again._

Anna could hear him throw up again. Anna shuddered as it sounded so disgusting. At least he was in the bathroom this time. Then Anna reached the bathroom and he was rinsing out his mouth, "Here."

"Thanks, I'm sorry."

"Its fine," Anna looked at him through the corner of her eye; she couldn't stand to see the mess, "See? You're sick. You're_ not_ going to work today."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not going to argue with you."

"Wow, you must really be sick if you're not going to argue with me about work."

"Well, I feel like crap," Yoh held his head, "Don't even say 'I told you so'."

"I don't have to," Anna crossed her arms, "You already know I was right."

"Uh," Yoh weakly looked at Anna, "And you? Are you all right?"

"Well, as of right now, I have a slight headache," Anna put a hand on her head, "But I don't have a fever. I think I have a cold."

Yoh started to clean his mess, "Are you going to work?"

"Yeah. I'll take some medicine. I think I'll be all right."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, unless," Anna felt Yoh's burning forehead, "you need me here?"

"Uh…" Yoh just stared at her.

"Yoh! You're burning up! Just a second," Anna left and then came back with a wet cloth in her head. She gently put it on her forehead, "Feel a little better?"

"Um, a little," Yoh closed his eyes and rested there a little. Then, after a while, his opened his eyes and returned back to cleaning his mess, "Yoh should go to work. We can't both call in sick."

"I guess you're right. Hao will get suspicious…" Anna mumbled, but then said louder, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah, no problem," Yoh weakly smiled as he finished cleaning his mess.

"Alright then," she then pointed a demanding finger at him, "I'm going to get ready. I want you to go back to bed and if you need anything, _call me_."

"Okay," he weakly nodded as he tried to get up.

"Need help?"

"Nah, I'll be all right," he got up, "You should get ready. You don't want to be late."

Anna nodded as she made her way out of the bathroom and up the staircase. Yoh made it to his bed and lied down. His head hurt so much that he could hardly stand it. He closed his eyes and wished his pain away. He wanted to take some medicine, but he didn't feel like getting up. And he didn't want to bother Anna too much either because she was sick too. Not as sick as he was, but she still was sick. Anna wasn't the type to show her weaknesses, so she wouldn't show it if she was sick. The only one she might show is Yoh.

Anna came down some minutes later, fully ready. She gathered a few things and then walked to Yoh's beside, "Okay Yoh. Here are some tissues, a trash can, and here's a bucket just in case you can't make it to the bathroom."

"Thank you Anna," Yoh weakly smiled, "Oh, before you go, can you give me some medicine?"

"Sure," Anna headed to the kitchen where they kept the medicines. She poured a glass of water and gave Yoh some pills to help his headaches, "Need anything else?"

"No, I'm okay," Yoh closed his eyes, "I just need some rest."

"Alright then," Anna turned to leave, "See you later. Remember, call if you need anything."

Yoh merely moaned and tried to get to sleep. Anna quietly walked out and made her way to the lobby area. She really didn't feel like going to work today, but Yoh was much worse off then her. She had a headache, and the pills she took seemed to be helping (as of now). She also had a running nose, which she hated, possibly more than the headache. She made sure that there was a trash can and a tissue box near her by the front desk and started work.

After about an hour and a few customers, the bright and non-sick Julie approached the desk.

"Hello, Anna," Julie smiled, "How are you?"

Anna moaned in her head; Julie will just add to her headache, "I've been better."

"What's wrong?" Julie cocked her head, "You sound stuffy, are you sick?"

Anna gave her a dull look; as if Julie was asking the obvious.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Julie was a little taken aback, but recovered quickly, "What time is Yoh working?"

"He's sick."

Julie's eyes widened, "What? And he's home alone?"

Julie was acting as if Yoh had a deadly disease, "Hey, he insisted that I go to work."

"I-I see," Julie looked down, "Well you have a nice day. I hope you get better! Excuse me!" She said with a slight wave and turned to leave.

Anna gave a slight wave. Julie's presence was unnecessary and she wondered why Julie always persisted. Julie must've gotten the hint already. Surely she knew Anna didn't really like her presence, but she comes almost everyday to chat with her. She probably wasn't even interested. She probably only talked to Anna to get information about Yoh. Almost every time they talk, Yoh is brought up. But Anna didn't care. She didn't want to talk to Julie anyway.

After hours of torture, work was finally over and Anna could finally go home and rest. Anna held her head as she opened the door to her home. She undid her hair and un-tucked her shirt as she walked down the stairs, "Tadaima."

"Shh!" A blonde beauty put a finger to her lips.

Anna stopped dead in her tracks. There, Julie was there. She was there sitting on the side of Yoh's bed. Anna could almost feel her jaw drop. What was Julie doing here?

"He's sleeping," Julie softly smiled as she looked at Yoh.

Anna looked at Yoh as she started to descend down the stairs. He was sleeping there somewhat peacefully. Anna was totally caught off guard at Julie's presence, but she didn't show it, "Have you been looking after him all this time?"

Julie softly nodded as she moved a strand away from Yoh's face. This didn't sit well with Anna. She went and sat next to Julie. Not that she wanted to, she just wanted to sit next to Yoh. Anna placed her cold hand on Yoh's forehead and he got the chills. His eyes weakly opened. He first saw Julie and then looked at Anna, "…Anna…"

"Tadaima," she whispered.

Yoh gave a weak smile, "Okaeri."

"How are you feeling?"

"Well, a little better since Julie came to help me out."

Something sank in Anna. She didn't know what, she just knew it did.

"She made me some American style soup," Yoh's eyes weakly looked at Julie, "I think it was called 'Chicken Noodle.' I couldn't really taste it, and I threw most of it up, but I bet it was great." He sheepishly smiled.

"I have some extra if you'd like some…" Julie offered.

Anna shook her head, "No thanks. Don't have much of an appetite."

"Oh! The time!" Julie exclaimed, "It's time for Yoh to take another pill, Anna can you get it from the kitchen?"

Coming to her home uninvited was one thing, but giving her orders in her own home was another. Normally Anna wouldn't do it, but Yoh was sick, so she didn't argue. She got up and went to the kitchen only to find that the tube of pills was empty. Anna re-entered the room, "There are none left."

"Anna," Yoh weakly looked at her, "Can you please get some more?"

Anna froze. Why didn't Yoh ask Julie to go? Anna was sick as well, she didn't want to go outside. But Yoh looked so pitiful…to deny him would be a sin. Anna's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure we should be trusting this medication…what if it makes things worse?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Julie smiled, "One of the things I'm studying over here is medicines. I studied back in the States too, so you shouldn't worry."

Anna now had no choice. Yoh gave a sheepish smile, "You can use my money…it's on the counter."

"Fine," Anna was angry as she grabbed the money and made her way upstairs to change into warmer clothes. She put on some pants and boots and wore her beige jacket and red beanie. Once out of the room, she just left without saying a word to them.

Anna knew the town well enough to make her way to the nearest Pharmacy now. That still didn't change the fact that she didn't want to go though. Why couldn't Yoh just ask Julie? And why did she let them boss her around like that without any form of argument from her? Perhaps she _was_ getting soft. She sighed. She didn't like being soft and she definitely didn't like how weak it made her feel. She was taking orders from Julie and Yoh! She was getting softer on Yoh. She had to start keeping him in line; she was not going to start to act weak and let people walk all over her. She won't ever let that happen again. She had control now and she wasn't going to lose it to anyone. Not even to Yoh.

She then entered the Pharmacy and quickly looked for what she was supposed to find. Then again, this was Yoh. Yoh wouldn't take advantage of her and his intentions were probably good. But why…why did it hurt so much when Yoh had asked her to go and not Julie? Anna grabbed the medicine and just stared at the box. Did he ask Anna to go so he and Julie could have some more alone time? Or did he simply ask her to go because she was already up?

Anna paid for the medication and walked by to the Inn with her hands in her pockets, contemplating on why Yoh sent her instead of Julie and why this was bothering her so much. The only thing Anna knew for sure now was her extreme dislike of Julie and her extreme headache that just kept getting worse. And it seemed as though the Inn couldn't be farther and the thoughts weren't going to be settled until she reached the ever-far Inn. She did though eventually made it back, but at the cost of an extreme headache in the effects of her cold and deep un-answering questions that roamed in her mind.

"Tadaima," Anna said as she entered. She took off her beanie, her jacket and her boots and threw them in her room. She descended down the stairs to be greeted by another surprise. Julie was wearing some of Yoh's clothes. Anna opened her mouth to say something but Julie smiled and said, "Welcome home."

Anna went to the bedside and looked at Yoh with an eyebrow lifted. She wanted to ask, "What's the meaning of this?"

And as if Yoh could read Anna's mind, he responded, "I threw up on her…so I gave her some of my clothes. Sorry, Julie."

"Oh, it's all right."

"I got you your medicine," Anna handed Yoh the bag and went to go get water.

Yoh sat up when Anna returned. He put the pills in his mouth and swallowed some water. Yoh stuck his tongue out, "It's so disgusting."

"But you have to take it," Julie took Yoh's cup when he was done with it.

"I know," Yoh touched his head, "I hope it's gone by tomorrow."

"I doubt it," Anna crossed her arms, "Now lay back down."

Yoh slowly laid back and closed his eyes…he just hoped the pills' gruesome taste wouldn't come back to haunt him.

"Julia," Anna said, looking at her.

"_Julie_."

"Right," Anna didn't really care, "I can take it from here."

"Oh, uh, are you sure?"

Anna nodded with a cold glare. She wasn't incompetent.

"Ah, okay," Julie started to get up, "I'll check up on you later, okay Yoh?"

"Alright, thank you Julie," Yoh weakly smiled.

"Anytime," she responded as she made her way to the door.

"Oh, and Julie, don't worry about your clothes. I'll wash them and return them to you tomorrow!"

Julie gave a slight laugh before ascending up the stairs, "Okay, same here."

After Anna heard the door close, she turned her attention on Yoh and glared.

"Wh-what?"

"I told you to call me if you needed help!"

"W-well, I didn't think I needed it," Yoh nervously said, "And besides, Julie came."

Anna's arms were still crossed as she looked away.

"Is there something wrong about that?"

"Y'know, I could've helped you."

"I know, but I didn't want to disturb you."

"It wouldn't have been disturbing me. It would've been saving me…I have a killer headache."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry," Yoh scoot over a bit, "Come take a nap with me…that is if you're brave enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I could throw up again."

"Well, then you're going to wash my clothes," Anna was going to take his offer.

Yoh laughed as he lifted the blankets up for her. Anna slipped in and got comfortable, "What would you do if I threw up?"

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

"Well if you were to throw up in the toilet or over a trash can, I'd hold your hair back."

Anna gave a slight smile, "And if I threw up on you?"

"I'd be a little grossed out," Yoh laughed, "Poor Julie was so gross out, but she helped me clean up anyway."

Anna frowned at the mention of Julie. Why did he have to bring her up?

"What's wrong? Headache?" Yoh put his hand to her forehead.

"Something like that," his hand was still there. He kept his hand there and just stared at her, "What?"

"Nothing," Yoh continued.

"Why are you staring at me?"

Yoh removed his hand and closed his eyes, "No reason."

Anna was a little confused, but she was more tired, so she didn't press the subject.

"Goodnight Anna."

"'Night Yoh."

While it seemed as though Yoh fell asleep quickly, Anna did not. She closed her eyes, but was still a little troubled. She hated how soft she was getting and although she didn't want to admit it, she hated how close Yoh and Julie were. Sure Yoh always showed kindness to women, but for some reason Julie was different. She liked Yoh, and it was unpredictable to Anna if Yoh felt the same. But every time she saw them together, he was always smiling or laughing and she was always the angelic figure. Definitely not like Anna. Yoh will always be nice to Anna…no matter what. But it seemed more to Anna that Yoh pitied her…her presence suddenly seemed like a burden (or so she thought) on Yoh. She was someone he had to take care of.

Anna opened her eyes and narrowed her eyes at Yoh. She was not going to be a burden. She could take care of herself. She turned to face the other way. Her back was now towards him. She didn't need him protecting her…and he probably didn't need her at all. Maybe it was just her headache bothering her. Or maybe she was finally being truthful. Either way, she didn't want to think about it. She shut her eyes tightly and hoped that she'd fall asleep quickly.

Yoh closed his eyes, but he wasn't asleep. His head pounded and he was sure it would be awhile before he got to sleep. He had heard Anna move, and this made him open his eyes. His eyes met her golden locks. He had wondered why she had turned over. She was probably uncomfortable. It was understandable. He had been lying in that spot pretty much all day and it had probably lost its comfort.

_It had seemed that something was bothering Anna. And it didn't seem as though it was just her cold bugging her. I could be wrong, and I hoped I was. Ever since she got home she had been acting a little down. Usually it was just her personality, but lately she's been acting so comfortable and relaxed and it now seemed unusual to act like she was. She couldn't be mad at me, could she? I mean, I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe I'm over-reacting. My fever's probably getting the better of me. It's probably just me thinking everything is weird. She's probably perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

**Okay so I'm an idiot. I totally forgot about Anna and Hao's date!! Hao didn't even appear in this chapter!! Ugh! I'm so sorry! The date is in the next chapter I promise! It fits better there anyway**. The next chapter is a long one too…its turning out to be longer then the prologue (I think) so brace yourselves! But you'll enjoy it, I promise or…or I don't know. But I'm pretty sure you'll like it!! I'll try not to take too long writing it! Thanks so much for reading!

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** probably a week, week and a half. But…if you review…we can see if we do it sooner ; )

**So thanks so much for reading!! Please tell me how you liked it! And if I can improve in any way, please let me know! Words of encouragement are greatly appreciated as well. So please, if you can: review!!**

**Until next time: Ja ne!**


	7. Apples and Oranges

**Haha, well I'm getting a lot of people expressing their hate for Julie…well frankly, I don't like her that much myself. She's just one of those annoying nice people that you shouldn't hate but you do. And don't you guys worry this is a YohxAnna story till the end! But things are a little rocky right now…but just trust me, it'll get better and cuteness will prevail!! The beginning of this chapter is a little…well let's just say: non-cute…but by the end it is!! Just trust me!! Hehe, thanks for reviewing! **

_Oh, and to my dear __**Jamesters**__, for all your support with all of my various stories and random chapters, I've mentioned your name in this chapter. Your real name though…not my nick-name for you. Thanks so much!! _

**Thanks for all your kind reviews! You make my day! : )**

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 6:

"Apples and Oranges"

_It's been about a week since the painting incident, and I've got to say that I'm feeling a lot better. I was sick for about 4 days, but then it slowed down to a mere cold. Now I feel fine, with the exception of a few runny noses and slight headaches. I think the same could be said for Anna. She hadn't really said anything about the matter. And for some odd reason, I could feel her pulling away. She seemed to be getting more distant, and I couldn't tell if it was just because she was sick, or if something was really wrong. Either way, she wouldn't tell me, and I just had to be patient and wait to see how things turned out._

"Hao," Yoh said getting his brother's attention, "My shift's over, I'm heading home."

"Alright," Hao gave a slightly non-caring response.

Yoh had walked away, and a few minutes later, Anna walked through the main door, "Is Yoh here?"

"You just missed him."

"Hmph."

"Is there anything I can help you with, Anna-chan?"

"You can start by stop calling me "-chan"."

Hao gave a slight laugh. Anna almost walked away from the desk, but Hao stopped her, "Hey, don't think I've forgotten about our little date. It's been like a month and a half."

"You won't quit, will you?"

"A deal's a deal, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that," Anna crossed her arms and gave a deep glare.

"Right. What was I thinking?"

"So when are we going?" Anna pushed an annoying strand of hair behind her ear.

"What?"

"Don't make me change my mind."

"Okay, okay," Hao sounded slightly excited, "How about a movie?"

"Sure, whatever," Anna uncrossed her arms, "When?"

"Uh, I'm free tomorrow night, you?"

"I get off at 5:30."

"Alright, then how about around 7?"

"Okay. See you then," Anna turned to leave.

"Oh, and Anna," once again Hao stopped her, "Don't forget to tell my little brother. If you don't tell him, then I will."

Anna ignored him as she walked back to the B level. Anna entered quietly and went to her room. She didn't even tell Yoh that she was home. She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Why did she feel so…empty? This feeling wasn't new to her, she always empty before…but for the last 2 months, she didn't. She didn't know what she was feeling since she came here, but she knew it was something. Now, once more, she felt nothing. Ever since she declared that she wasn't going to be soft anymore, she felt empty. She was starting to wonder if it was even worth it.

"Anna," there was a knock her door, "Are you home?"

"Hai."

"May I come in?"

"Mhm."

"Is that a 'yes'?" Yoh slid the door slightly open to see Anna lying on the bed, "Are you not feeling well?"

It annoyed her how he always asked that. He sat on the edge of her bed as she shook her head slowly, "I'm fine now."

"Well, then, if you're up to it—"

"I'm not sick."

"Okay, you wouldn't mind coming with me then?"

"Depends where."

"I feel like having some ice cream. Wanna go to the ice cream parlor with me?"

Anna sat up slightly, "Hmm…"

"C'mon," he tried to persuade her, "You can get whatever you want, my treat."

"Hmph. But they never have apple flavored ice cream."

Yoh laughed, "So? No one ever has orange pie! Don't let that stop you!"

"Alright," Anna fully sat up, "I'll go."

"Great," Yoh got up, "let's go. I've been craving ice cream for the longest time."

Yoh and Anna then headed out of the inn and made their way to the ice cream parlor. The walk was quiet, but enjoyable, well, at least to Yoh it was. He knew Anna was quiet and didn't expect her to start up a conversation or to keep it going. They soon reached the ice cream parlor.

"How may I help you?" the cashier asked.

"Um," Yoh looked at Anna, "Just a minute. Anna, what do you want?"

Anna walked around looking at the choices then looked at the cashier, "2 scoops of Black Cherry."

"Okay," said the cashier, "You sir?"

"2 scoops of Orange and Cream, please."

The cashier got their ice creams and Yoh paid. Yoh looked at Anna and signaled her to follow him. Yoh lead Anna to a nearby park and sat on a bench. He patted the seat next to him for Anna to sit down. Anna sat down next to Yoh and they sat their quietly licking their ice creams.

"Oh, Yoh," she said, getting his attention, "Tomorrow night's the date."

"Date? What date?"

"Mine and Hao's. The one I promised to go on if he worked your shift."

"Oh, right," Yoh said a little sadly as he stared at his ice cream.

"Don't worry, it means nothing."

"Tomorrow's going to be boring though, I have it off."

"Then I'll make it up to you next time."

Yoh gave a smile, "Well, I guess tomorrow I'll just help Julie with her Japanese or she can help me with my English."

It was Anna's turn to frown. She stopped licking her ice cream and dwelled on what he said. Why? Why did he always bring her up?

After a while, Yoh noticed Anna not liking her ice cream anymore, "What's the matter? Don't like it?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Anna started to lick her ice cream again.

"Wanna try some of mine?" Yoh offered handing her his ice cream.

Anna said nothing as she took his ice cream and handed him hers. This sort of thing wasn't new to them; they used to do it all the time when they were little. Pretty much every time they had ice cream, they'd share. None of them ever mined and both usually looked forward to it.

"You haven't changed," Anna said taking a lick of Yoh's ice cream, "it's always Orange and Cream with you."

"Well, what about you?" Yoh licked hers, "You always complain that there's no apple flavor and then you just settle with cherry."

"Apples are red, cherries are red."

Yoh laughed, "Red's still your favorite color, right?"

Anna nodded while she handed Yoh's ice cream back to him, "Yours is still orange, correct?"

Yoh nodded.

"How unusual."

"I think that's why I like it. Not many people like orange and it seems like a neglected color. No one would ever predict it."

Anna gave the slightest of smiles and continued to eat her ice cream. After a while of eating their ice creams and occasional passing of words, they headed home. The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. It was already towards the end of the day and both Yoh and Anna had ruined their appetites with the ice cream. Anna stayed in her room, claiming to be reading, but was only staring at the ceiling again. Yoh watched a few shows, but then got bored, and decided to go to bed. After Yoh had knocked on her door and told her he was going to sleep, Anna decided to too.

The next day came all too quickly and Anna was dreading the evening. On the other hand, Hao was anticipating it. Before Anna knew it, she was at work and it was 5:30 and she was off work already. She slowly walked home and upon arriving softly said, "Tadaima."

"Okaeri," Yoh was on the couch, "I recorded your show for you."

"Thanks," she nodded as she reached the couch and sat down, "I'll watch it later." Anna laid down with her feet on Yoh's lap; she gave him a glare, "No tickling."

Yoh shook his head while laughing. Then he rested his hands on her ankles and looked at her, "Aren't you going to get ready?"

"It's just Hao," Anna responded while taking her hair down, "It's not a big deal."

"You don't care about dates?"

"Again: it's just Hao. Do you want me to get dressed up for your brother?"

"No. Don't tempt him."

"I won't try to."

"So what are you guys doing?"

"Seeing a movie."

"Oh, which one?"

"I don't know," Anna shrugged, "I let him choose."

"He'll probably pick something lame," Yoh laughed.

"Most movies are lame," Anna looked at the T.V. "I don't expect much."

Yoh laughed, "I wonder what Hao expects to get out of this?"

"I don't know, but he ain't getting anything."

Yoh smiled, "Don't let Hao_ talk_ you into anything, okay?"

"You can trust me." Anna looked at Yoh, "You really think I'd let Hao_ talk_ _**me**_into anything?"

"Ha ha, no. He and I both know you'd send him home with a beaten face first."

Anna looked at the clock and sighed, "I should start getting ready."

Yoh gave a slight nod as Anna slowly got up and made her way upstairs. She had gotten ready pretty fast, well, compared to other girls. She just wanted to get this over with. Nothing would happen between her and Hao, she wouldn't let it. He knew that, didn't he? He probably just wanted to take Anna out as a head turner; so Hao could "show off" his many attractive girlfriends. This date was probably for reputation purposes only.

Anna came down the stairs to the couch, fully ready. She was wearing a black camisole with red lace and a red bow under the chest with a black sweater. She wore skinny jeans with black flats with little red polka dots on them. Her hair, of course, was down with the exception of an apple clip on her left side. Yoh could feel his jaw drop.

"I'm ready," she said.

He wished _he_ was taking her out.

Seeing as he was only staring, Anna walked over to the couch and sat next to him.

"You look good," was all he could say.

"Not _too_ good, right?"

"You always look good…"

"No, I meant for Hao."

Yoh opened his mouth to answer, but there was a knock at the door. He looked toward Anna.

"Can you get it?"

"Sure," he nodded as he got up to answer it. He knew it was Hao though. He opened the door to see Hao's grinning face.

"Hey there _little_ brother."

"Hao," Yoh gave a slight glare.

"Don't be jealous, little bro," Hao put an arm around Yoh's neck, "It's not my fault you don't have the balls to ask her out."

"Hao…" Yoh was really glaring now.

"Is that all you have to say: my name?"

"How this is: take care of her or I promise your face will be so distorted that you won't have another girlfriend for a year."

"Geez, Yoh, relax," Hao let go of his grip, "You're never fun to tease when it comes to Anna."

"This is serious!"

"What do you think I'm gunna do? I'm more afraid of Anna then I am of you!"

"Hmph," Yoh crossed his arms.

"Lighten up pouty-pants," Hao crossed his arms, "Go hang out with Julie, you'll feel better." Then Hao walked down the stairs, "Anna-chan!"

Yoh slowly uncrossed his arms. For once, he was jealous of his brother.

"Are you ready?" Hao asked approaching the couch.

"Can we not and say we did?"

"Sorry, doll, doesn't work that way."

Anna gave a slight moan and got up.

"You look lovely."

Anna gave a slight twitch of the eyebrow and a half nod as an acceptance of what he'd said.

Yoh made his way down stairs with his hands in his pockets.

"I guess we'll be leaving then," Hao signaled Anna to come with him.

Yoh nodded but said a little unenthusiastically, "Okay. Have fun."

"Don't wait up for us," Hao said jokingly.

Yoh's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, "Don't come back _too_ late."

"Geez, Yoh," Hao said while walking up the stairs, "You sound like a parent."

Yoh sighed as he could no longer see them.

"See ya later," he heard Hao say as they exited.

"Bye," Yoh said softly as he leaned on the back of the couch.

Hao and Anna made their way to the movie theater. It was an awkward silence, unlike the comfortable silence Yoh and Anna always had. Hao was used to talking to his dates and showing off, trying to impress them. But Hao knew all too well that sweet-talking would have no affect at all on Anna.

"Why doesn't anyone have cars?" Anna asked crossing her arms.

"Why would I need a car?" Hao put his hands in his pockets, "I live at my work and everything's pretty much close by so there's no need. Besides, Yoh and I do know how to drive, we just don't need cars."

"I would've thought that someone like you would've gotten a car just to impress the ladies. None of them care?"

"No, most of the girls enjoy romantic strolls like this."

"_This_? You call _this_ romantic?"

"Well usually for _normal_ girls it is. But you have this wall around you and you won't let anyone in."

"Why should I have to?"

"You know, it's really annoying and frustrating…having to deal with your uncaring and nonchalant moods. I don't know how Yoh puts up with you."

"I didn't ask him to."

"But he does. Be thankful that he does. You're always acting like you hate the world."

"There's not much to like. You have no idea what I've been through," Anna stopped walking.

"Then enlighten me," Hao stopped a few feet in front off her, "Let's skip the movie and eat instead."

"Why would I tell you? Hasn't Yoh already?"

Indeed Yoh had, but Hao pretended he didn't. He promised Yoh that he wouldn't tell Anna he knew, but he was determined to hear Anna's story: from her own lips, "No. I just know that you moved. Why did you move so suddenly and not tell Yoh about it?"

Anna sighed and stared at her shoes. She didn't really care if Yoh had told Hao about her step family; she just cared if Yoh had told Hao that she cried. Actually, she somewhat wished Yoh had told Hao about her past; that way she didn't have to. She was pretty surprised too, Hao was nosy and nagged until he got what he wanted. Why hadn't he asked Yoh yet? She looked at him, "Fine. I'll tell you."

The restaurant Hao had in mind wasn't too far from where they were, so getting there was almost no time at all. The walk there was quiet, but Hao knew the talking would start once they were seated. They entered the restaurant and many heads turned to Hao and Anna, "Whoa, Hao, you struck gold this time! Who's the new girl? She reminds of that last foreigner you took out, what was her name? Oh, yeah! Jamie!"

Hao just smirked at his friends who were drooling over Anna, "Her name's Anna."

"Ooooh, Anna, eh? She a foreigner?" One of them asked due to Anna's non-Japanese name and blonde hair.

"Hao, these losers your friends?" Anna said in English. The guys, not understanding her, started to exclaim how cute her accent was.

Hao didn't quite understand her, but laughed anyway. Then he whispered to her, "I didn't know you knew English."

"I know only a little," she said quietly, "I just don't want to talk to your drooling friends."

Hao laughed and told the host to get them a table for two. Soon they were seated and they ordered their meals. There was silence for a while. Hao wasn't sure if Anna would bring it up, or if he should do it himself. He figured that Anna wouldn't want anyone to overhear, or interrupt, so he patiently waited for her to bring it up. Then the food was served and then he figured that she wasn't going to start it up. After a while Hao propped his elbows on the table and rested his head on his hands, "So. What are these _issues_ you're having?"

"Remember Haijime, Kyosuke, and Kosuke?"

"Your step family?"

"They abused me." She flat out said; no hesitation at all. Then she continued to eat her food.

Hao was a little taken aback by her indifferent expression and calmness.

"Haijime used to abuse my mom when she was alive, and then after she died, I was his new target."

"D-did Yoh know about this?"

"Not at first," Anna took another bite, "But you know your brother. He's like you: won't mind his business."

"Did he do anything about it? 'Cuz he definitely didn't tell any adults!"

"Well, let's just say he wasn't_ robbed_. He tried to protect me…and was beaten because of it," Anna's voice got soft and quiet as she let go of her chopsticks.

"Then what happened?"

"Haijime thought he killed Yoh, so once he sobered up, we left. As I got older, things got worse. I finally got the chance to run away, and I'm never going back… Kyosuke's got plans for me…."

"Well at least you ended up here, back with Yoh."

"I don't know how long I can stay here though."

"But Yoh can take care of you. Don't worry about it. He may not look like it, but he's really strong."

"That just makes me a burden. I hate burdens, therefore I hate being one."

"I'm sure it's no problem for him."

Anna looked down, "He's lived without me for almost half his life. He doesn't need me. I'll only get in the way."

Hao didn't really know what to say to that, but he was determined to keep this conversation going. He didn't want it to end this way, "But you're his best friend—"

"Not anymore. I'll only drag him down with our past…"

"Well maybe if you took some effort into showing you care or into showing some emotions…"

"Look, half my life I've been used and abused, I'm used to not feeling anything. You can't ask me to suddenly change. Things don't work that way."

"You can't even show your emotions to Yoh?"

"Especially not to him."

"Don't you trust him?"

"He's the only one I _ever_ trust," Anna stood up, "I've lost my appetite."

"Alright, fine," Hao tried to signal a waiter, "I'll pay and we'll leave."

He paid the waiter and boxed their left over food. Actually neither of them ate much. As they walked out, Anna didn't say another word, and Hao didn't expect her to. She had said all she wanted to and would say no more if she didn't want him to hear. Hao wanted to say something, but didn't know if he should. To be safe, Hao remained silent until they reached the Inn. It was around 9:30 or 9:45 so it was still early compared to the time they would've arrived if they saw the movie instead.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean this date to be a serious one. I owe you a better one."

"You owe me nothing," Anna started to walk off, "What would we do on a real date anyway?"

Hao gave a slight laugh, "You're right. You don't enjoy them anyway."

Anna gave a small smile as she continued her walk to the B level. She felt somewhat closer to Hao now, "Goodnight, Hao."

"Goodnight, Anna."

When Anna reached the B level, she opened the door and like usual said: "Tadaima."

She heard giggling; it wasn't Yoh's voice either. She lifted a brow as she walked down the stairs. She knew that annoying giggle all to well, but she deep down hoped and prayed that it wasn't who she thought it was.

Yoh look towards the stairs from the couch, "Okaeri! Why home so early?"

That's when Anna saw her: Julie Anderson. She could smell that sweet _Love Spell _scent that somehow overpowered her _Strawberries and Champagne_. Anna frowned; Julie was sitting in her spot. Anna slowly approached the couch, "The movie theater was too crowded, so we decided to eat instead." She lifted the box with her food in it, "I have leftovers. You can have it if you want."

"Thanks," Yoh responded as she handed him the box, "Did you have fun?"

"It was me and Hao," Anna responded as if what she was saying was obvious, "what do you expect?"

Yoh laughed, "I'll take that as a 'no'. Wanna join us? We're watching a movie."

Anna gave a quick glance at Julie, "I'm actually pretty tired. I might just go to bed."

Yoh gave a little frown, "Really?"

"Yeah, looks like there's no room for me anyway."

Then Julie scooted over towards Yoh, so as she'd be in the middle. She patted the seat next to her, "You can sit here."

Anna's eyes narrowed slightly, "No, thanks. I'm tired." She did not want to be left on the side.

"Are you sure?"

These questions were annoying, "Yes."

Anna started to walk off, but when Yoh said "Goodnight." She stopped.

"Goodnight, Yoh."

"Oyasumi, Anna." Julie smiled.

"Oyasumi, Julia."

"Um, _Julie_. Oh, and Anna," Julie signaled her to stop, "I've been meaning to ask you: that scent you're wearing, it's Strawberries and Champagne, right?"

Anna nodded.

"Oh, I knew it…" Julie looked towards Yoh, "And you don't mind?"

"No…should I?" Yoh was confused.

"Well, it's just that," Julie looked towards Anna, "I was told that smelling that scent too much makes Yoh nauseous."

Anna's eyes narrowed, "It does?"

"I…uh," how could Yoh possibly explain this? He loved that scent, but only when it was on Anna. There was nothing he could think to say without offending either of them.

"Goodnight." Anna walked off to her room in a hurry.

"Um, ex-excuse me, Julie," Yoh got up.

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"Uh, no. It's okay," Yoh said quickly as he went up to Anna's room, "Anna?" He knocked.

There was no response.

"Uh, Anna, I—" he opened the door slightly.

"I'm changing."

"Ah! Sorry," Yoh turned his head.

"What do you want?" She asked indifferently as she slipped into her bed.

"Um, about the whole perfume thing," Yoh said while quietly entering.

"I never expected you to lie."

"What? I didn't lie."

"You lied to _someone_," she glared at him, "Either you lied to me saying that you loved my scent, or you lied to her saying that it made you nauseous."

"No, I didn't lie to anyone. I do love that scent, but only on you. I can't imagine anyone else wearing it. Before you came, Julie was wearing it. I, uh, was reminded of you…the last time we saw each other, and it got me thinking…I started to get reminded of how I felt back then and I got sick. So as not to offend Julie, Hao told her that that scent sometimes makes me nauseous if I smelt it too much. So Julie stopped wearing it."

Something didn't sit right with Anna when she heard that Julie was wearing her scent. Somehow she felt resentment towards Julie, "So my scent doesn't make you nauseous?"

"Of course not."

"But it reminds you of the past…?"

"It used to," Yoh gave a little smile, "But now that I see you, and see you safe, it makes me feel better."

Anna stopped glaring and just looked at him; he looked at her. They just stared at each other for a while. Yoh started to smile, and a small smile was starting to surface on Anna.

"Ah, Julie's down stairs," Yoh gave a sheepish smile.

Anna frowned…why? Why was she always brought up?!

"I'd better go back down," Yoh headed towards the door, "Goodnight, Anna."

Yoh heard no such response from her. He just heard to move in the sheets. He headed back down and sat next to Julie and apologized for making her wait alone. Julie smiled saying it was all right and they turned their attention back to the movie.

Anna stood awake, staring at the wall. She wasn't tired at all; she just used that as an excuse. Her eyes were wide open and just stared. What Anna felt now was unidentifiable. She didn't feel empty; oh no, she definitely felt something. She just didn't know what it was. She wasn't accustomed to feeling like this and they only feeling she recognized was sadness. Something deep down mad her sad and somewhat depressed…which in turn made her angry. Then she felt frustrated with the sudden rush of thoughts entering her head. They all came suddenly and gave here no time to sort them out. She closed her eyes tightly and hoped and all these thoughts would disappear.

"Good night, Yoh," Anna heard outside of her door, "Thanks so much for inviting me over."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," came Yoh's voice, "I enjoy your company."

There was a pause, but Anna heard some movement, "I really had fun tonight."

It sounded like_ they_ were on a date, "Me too, let's do it again."

"Sure!" Julie sounded excited.

"Would you like me to walk you back to your room?"

She giggled, "I think I can manage."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Yoh…"

"Goodnight, Julie."

Then Anna heard the door close. Something sank in Anna; if she had to guess she'd say it was her heart. She didn't know why, she really didn't. Or maybe she did know why, she just didn't want to admit it to herself…Yoh liked Julie.

For the next couple of days, Anna had been distant and somewhat cold. She didn't let Yoh see it though. She busied herself and always had an excuse to do something else. She had been going out a lot lately, almost always by herself. But so as not to concern Yoh, she'd say she was walking with Pirika or Tamao, but then after she walked them to their houses, she'd go off on her own. She needed to sort her feelings out, but the only thing that did was make her feel depressed.

Anna leaned her head on her bedpost. She took a breath and sighed. She hated this. She couldn't quite pin-point the source of her hate, but she knew that she hated feeling the way she was now. She didn't feel empty anymore; she felt something else. She took her hate and focused it on one person: Julie. Julie was nice, pretty, and minded her manners……everything Anna was not. Julie had shiny blonde hair, bright sapphire eyes, and had a wonderful personality. On the other hand, Anna had dull blonde (almost brownish) hair, boring brown eyes that couldn't be described with a wonderful adjective, and a blunt-rude personality. Wouldn't it be obvious to tell which one Yoh would choose?

Anna's eyes narrowed. She hated Julia, or Julie, whatever the hell her name is. Yoh was growing up; of course he'd be attracted to Julie. It just hurt her to admit it. And what was bugging her more was that she _actually cared_. Why? She had no idea, or, at least that's what she told herself. Deep down, though, she did know; she just didn't want to admit it to herself.

Truth be told, she always figured that Yoh and her would be together forever. Well, not forever, but close enough. She believed that they were truly inseparable and she wanted that to be a reality. But then Haijime came into the picture and ruined everything. He ruined their childhood, her innocence, and changed their lives forever. The only person in the world Anna trusted now was Yoh and she believed that she didn't have to trust anyone else; she didn't want to either.

She was being a baby about this and she hated it. She was pouting and ruining everyone's mood by her cold face and short answers. Since when did she let silly emotions bother her? Then she sighed; she wasn't being a baby; she was being honest. And she really hated that being honest was making her into a baby.

"Anna?" There was a knock at her door.

"What?" Her voice came out annoyed.

"Is there something wrong? You've been locked up in your room all day." Yoh had concern in his voice.

That's right; Yoh was the concerning type. "Peachy keen," was the response.

"Ah, okay," he said calmly, but unbelievingly.

Yoh was going to have to forget her.

Anna had to face the truth, if Yoh was to ever live a happy life, he had to forget her. And, if she wanted Yoh to move on, she'd have to leave. Soon. But just to reassure him that she wasn't going to leave like last time, she'd have to find a new place to live and a job. If she does that, if she proves to him that she's independent, Yoh would move on. Yoh would probably get with Julie, marry her, have a little happy family, and forget about little ol' Anna.

Anna gave a cold smile. She hated to even think of Yoh and Julie getting married, but if it made Yoh happy, then she'd deal with it. She could never maintain happiness for very long, so she figured that Yoh's happiness could be hers. But…was it supposed to hurt this much? Anna was born to live a sad life; that was for certain.

Yoh sat on the couch. The T.V. was on, but he wasn't paying attention to it. He was concerned with Anna. She hadn't come down from her room yet, which probably meant she hadn't eaten yet. Something was wrong and she wasn't telling him what was bothering her. Perhaps she'll tell him sooner or later…but he was still worried. If she wasn't eating, then she could get sick. He had to do something about it.

Anna hadn't moved. She was still sitting there, leaning on her bedpost. There was a knock at her door. Because she was so lost in her thoughts, the knock made her jump a bit, "What? What is it?"

"Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?"

"Agh," he could be so frustrating sometimes, "Come in."

Yoh came in the room with a try of caramel and apple slices. He smiled as he made his way to her bed.

"What's this?" Anna took her head off the bedpost.

"This? This is for you," Yoh sat on the side of her bed, "I noticed that you haven't come down to eat yet and I know you like apples, so here you go!"

"I don't want it. I'm not hungry."

"That's a lie," Yoh put the tray on Anna's lap, "I know you want it. Plus, I got it just for you."

"I don't want to eat it while you're staring at me and doing nothing."

Yoh then took out an orange from his shirt pocket, "Nope, this is for me. I thought we could enjoy a healthy meal together." Then he smiled. He gave that smile that Anna once thought was only for her, but that was stupid, wasn't it?

"C'mon," he said while putting a slice of apple to her mouth, "I know you want it."

"Stoppit," she took the slice out of his hand and put it to her mouth, "I can do it myself."

Yoh smiled as she ate the slice. He peeled his orange, "Dip your apples into the caramel. It's really good!"

"I know, I know," she dipped a slice, "You act like this is my first time having this. My mom used to give this to us as a snack all the time, remember?"

"Of course. That's why I brought these; to bring some pleasant nostalgia," Yoh finished peeling his orange. He ate a slice and then stared at the caramel.

"Don't even try it," Anna knew what Yoh was thinking, "That's gross. Nobody eats orange slices and caramel."

"But orange is my favorite and I wanna try it!" He dipped the orange in and Anna made a disgusted face. He ate it, "Mmm!"

"Ew!"

"You should try it!" He dipped a piece and put it by her mouth.

"No!" Anna shook her head, "You eat your nasty oranges and I'll eat my caramel apples!"

Yoh laughed, "Oranges aren't nasty! They're yummy no matter what form or way you eat them!"

"Nuh-uh. They're sour!"

"Not always, and so are apples!"

"Not as bad as oranges! Here, you just stick with your oranges, and I'll stick with my apples."

Yoh laughed, "Hey, they're two opposites!"

Anna bit hard into her apples slice. Apples and Oranges. Two opposites…just like them. They were totally different, just like apples and oranges. Yoh couldn't be compared to an orange, but both of them could definitely be compared to an apple and orange's differences. They were apples and oranges…both in the same category, but different characteristics.

"Anna? Is there something wrong?"

Anna shook her head as she grabbed an apples slice. She dipped in caramel and put it to Yoh's mouth, "Eat it."

"No thanks," he turned his head slightly, "It's yours, I gave it to you."

"You…" somehow his refusal made her sad, "…don't like apples? I…thought you did."

"I do," this somehow made Anna smile, "But I don't want to eat your food."

"But I'm giving it to you. I'm _sharing_."

Yoh gave a half-unsure smile, "M'kay." He then grabbed the slice and ate it.

"Good?"

"Good."

Anna smiled a little as they both continued to eat their fruits. Soon there was none left and both stared at the tray for a while until Yoh looked at Anna, "So, still hungry?"

Anna shook her head, "Thanks."

Yoh took the tray and stood up. He gave a concerned face, "You're okay, right? You're not trying to starve yourself, are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I just ate."

"No, I mean, if I wouldn't have come here with a tray of food, you wouldn't have eaten."

"I would've eventually," she leaned her head on her bedpost. Yoh gave a concerned look. She slowly shifted her eyes towards him, "Don't look at me like that. I'm just tired."

"Okay…" his voice softened a bit. Anna gave a quick small smile to assure him and he quietly left.

Anna sighed. If only she could forget. No, she could never forget her hero. She clenched her fist. She _**hated**_feeling like this. But she knew it would only stop when she left. No, it probably wouldn't ever stop, but at least it would hurt less. If she didn't have to see him and Julie together it would make her hurt less. Yes, she had to leave, soon.

She slipped into her bed and tried her hardest to fall asleep. She ended up staring at the ceiling instead. She didn't know how long she had been lying there, but a couple of hours would've been an accurate guess because Yoh came and knocked on her door to tell her that he was off to work.

_I told her that I was leaving, but there was no response. I wasn't really expecting a vocal response, but I was expecting at least the sound of movement, but I didn't even get that. It made me wonder if she was still in the room, but I never heard her leave, so she must be in there, right? She was probably sleeping, she did say she was tired…Even still, I worried. There was something bothering her; I knew that for sure._

Anna was still lying there staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She felt numb. Yoh had told her he was leaving, but she hadn't said anything or even moved an inch; not even to blink. Something was definitely wrong and she couldn't keep living like this. It bugged her, it really did, but even more so it hurt……it really did.

After about an hour or so, Anna slowly got up. The whole sleep thing wasn't working and she needed out. Maybe she'd go looking in another town for another job and another place to stay. The fresh air and time alone might help her out a little. Her room was getting stuffy and she couldn't take staring at her ceiling anymore. The sky would be much better.

Anna made her way to the lobby and stopped before getting in the view of the front desk. She peeked her head out to see Yoh with whom? Why, of course the lovely Julie. Anna frowned; he looked so happy whenever he talked to her. Anna sighed. If she walked passed him now, he probably wouldn't notice her. It was a perfect chance.

Anna walked by with her head pointed downwards. She stared at her shoes as she walked. Her bangs covered her eyes and just before leaving she decided to take a different jacket so it wouldn't look so obvious this time. She was almost positive he wouldn't notice…

"Anna?" _Almost_ positive.

Anna turned her head to look at the chocolate-haired boy who called her name. She looked uninterested as she waited for him to speak. She knew what he would say.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Are you all right?" Julie asked.

Anna gave a half-glare as her eyes shifted towards Julie, "I'm fine."

Julie was taken aback by Anna's glare. Yoh noticed Julie's surprise and decided to ask, "Where are you headed?"

Anna felt like saying "None of your business," but she knew Yoh would call her on that and get suspicious. So, instead she simply said, "Out."

"By yourself?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"No. But, uh…"

"I'll be careful. I just need fresh air."

"Ah, okay," Yoh's eyebrows furrowed.

"I told you: don't give me that look."

"I'm just worried Anna," Yoh's voice had concern in it. It was annoying, "You don't look so good."

"A lot's been on my mind," Anna walked out the door, "I need to sort it out."

Yoh frowned, not exactly satisfied with her answer.

Julie noticed this and decided to say, "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

Yoh stared at the door, "But something's up…"

"Maybe…she didn't want to say it in front of me?" Julie did take notice that Anna wasn't exactly fond of her.

"Hm…I hope you're right…"

Yoh continued to work and every once in a while stared at the door, hoping Anna would be the next person to walk in. When Yoh got off work, he took his time. He was really starting to get worried. She'd been out for hours. What could she have been doing? What if something happened?

Yoh was just about to walk out the door when Anna entered, "Anna!"

"Yoh? What are you doing?"

"I was worried about—"

"What?" She snapped, "You don't trust me?"

"No, that's not—"

"Typical," she put her hands on her hips, "You never trust me. I hate it! I have my own life! Let _me_ live it! You don't _have to_ know everything that's going on in it!!"

"Anna! I'm only—"

"Geez! Yoh!" Anna said full of frustration as she swiftly walked past him.

Yoh stood there looking at her storm off. He was utterly confused. What made her explode like that? After a while of trying to sort things out in his mind, he decided to go after her.

Anna went back to the B level and hastily made her way down stairs, but Yoh was close behind. She gave a frustrated groan once she reached the end of the staircase. Yoh walked in front of her and dared to ask, "What's your problem?"

Anna turned quickly to face him; her back was now facing the wall, "You wanna know what my problem is? My problem's you!"

"M-me?"

"What? You can't hear me? Yes, my problem is you!"

Yoh stood there shocked, "W-what did I do?"

"EVERYTHING! You're always in my business and you don't let me live my life for myself! I'm tired of it, Yoh! Why can't you just leave me alone??" Things were just flying out of her mouth; she wasn't sure she could stop it.

Yoh opened his mouth to defend himself; but no, Anna wouldn't let him speak.

"No! I'm talking! You'll listen!! I'm tired of this stupid routine! It's always 'Are you okay, Anna? You look sad, there's something wrong!!' Don't you ever quit?!"

Yoh frowned and his eyes started to narrow. She paused after she saw his look. She was surprised to hear him say, "No. Go on. I wanna hear what you have to say."

Anna continued on firm, even though it seemed her mouth was just spitting out things, even if she didn't mean it. She was on a roll and she didn't know when she'd stop, "And what's up with you? You're 18 years old already and no girlfriend? That's not normal for a boy your age! All boys ever care about is girls and sex! You've had _neither_! What's up with that, Yoh? You go for the other side?"

"Anna—!"

"I'm not finished!" her mouth just kept running and she was really starting to get to him, "You're one messed up guy, Yoh! You don't let me live my life and you don't have your own! You're nothing but a loser, Yoh!! Staying at this inn will get you nowhere! You're a loser who will never amount to anything!!"

"Is…that how you really feel, Anna?" Yoh's head pointed downward.

Anna rolled her eyes, "What? You gunna cry?"

Yoh slammed his hand into the wall next to Anna. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. His head was still down as he leaned a little closer. His hand was now clenched tightly into a fist. He was mad; for the first time in his life, he was mad at Anna, "…How dare you," he spat out, "My…my whole LIFE I spent worrying and caring about you!"

"I didn't ask—"

"I'm talking!" He yelled and shocked Anna, "You're going to listen, whether you want to or not!! You're so…so ungrateful! I took you in without charge! I gave you a job! I'm letting you take my room!! I **know** you didn't ask me to, but I did!! I did because you're my friend, but apparently that doesn't mean JACK-SHITto you!"

Yoh lifted his head and looked at Anna with total anger in his eyes. She didn't look away, she looked back at him with those emotionless eyes of hers that seemed to piss him off even more, "I mean…do I mean anything at all to you? Haha, of course not! You're probably just using me because you know I'd do anything to help you! You don't care! You never show it anyway! If you want to be that way, then fine!! I won't bother you anymore! We'll just be regular roommates! And it's not like you'd apologize anyway! So I won't even hold my breath!"

Then his fist slowly unclenched and his head once again pointed downward. His hand slowly slid down the wall, "I can't believe you, Anna…" He shook his head, "Y'know, there is someone I like. Yes, a _girl_ that I like. I would've thought you of all people would understand that I'm trying to be respectful. You know, not all guys are the same and I thought you would've understood that!" Yoh looked at her angrily. He shook his head slowly with a cold laugh and turned to ascend up the stairs. She stood there in the same spot until she heard the door slam.

Anna leaned against the wall. She knew he was different; that's why she was so attracted to him. She couldn't believe what she had just said. Instant regret was what she was feeling now and she didn't know how to take it back. Anna bit her lip. How was she going to say she was sorry? She never really said sorry before and she found herself somewhat scared to talk to him. He had yelled at her. Out of all people, he yelled at her the loudest and his words hurt her the most. Everything he said was right, except for the part about Anna not caring about him. She was his friend and she never wanted that part of them to change. She wouldn't trade Yoh's friendship for anything in the world. That was all she had…but now she wasn't sure of that anymore.

Why? Why did she explode like that? Everything she said wasn't true. Even though sometimes she hated when Yoh bugged her about what was wrong, when he _didn't _do it…it bugged her. It hurt her when he didn't ask her what was wrong when something was wrong. She had been in such a bad mood for days and it took him till now to ask what was wrong with her. It bugged her how he didn't ask until now.

All of Yoh's words stuck in her head, but she noticed that Yoh never told her to leave. Out of all his anger and frustration, and most likely hate, he never told her to get out. She could still stay here in his room without paying; even if she was ungrateful. She hated being so prideful, but that was the way she was. It was hard to change so suddenly.

No matter how hard she tried, she didn't know how to apologize…especially not to Yoh. She wasn't sure why, but showing her emotions to him was really hard for her. She was so close to him, yet she was afraid of getting too close. But he was the closest to her than anyone else. If she was going to apologize to anyone, it should be him. Maybe she can admit her mistake. Maybe she can say those two words to him, and only to him.

Anna's stomach twisted and turned. She had a bad taste in her mouth, as if the words she spoke were poison. She had never felt this bad about doing anything before. Yoh had never been so mad at anyone, especially her. Everything from here on out was unpredictable. Would he talk to her? Would he hate her? Would he cool off by morning? Would he act as if nothing happened? Would he forget about it? No, he was too angry. He wouldn't forget, and he wouldn't act like nothing happened. Sure, he had a laid-back personality, but no matter what, he probably wouldn't cool down until she apologized.

Why? Why did she have to go out and say all those things she didn't mean? She wanted Yoh in her life more then anything…but Yoh could live without her. He didn't need her there dragging him down. He'd be happier if she wasn't always there giving him crap. She was always causing problems…Yoh would always just smile and do it. She never thanked him. She was ungrateful…and if she wasn't there, Yoh would probably be more appreciated…probably by Julie. Then maybe she needed this little outburst. It would make it easier for her to leave and Yoh would probably be too mad to protest. He'd willingly let her go.

Anna headed to her room. Once she got there, she plopped onto her bed and, like always, stared at the ceiling. She wondered where Yoh had run off to and when he'd get home. She desperately wanted to know how things would be different between the two. Would he really stop talking to her? Hours had passed, and she had laid there lifelessly as she wondered about Yoh. And even though hours passed, he was still not home.

When Anna was finally about to get up, she heard the main door open and then she heard it slam. Anna decided not to get up and to just stay in her room. Out of all of her time thinking, she still didn't know what to do. Usually he'd announce when he came home, but as expected, he didn't. So, Anna changed into her pajamas and tried to go to sleep, though she knew she wouldn't.

Yoh went down the stairs in an angry manner. He entered the downstairs bathroom and threw off his shirt. He washed his face and wiped off his sweat. All this time he had been running nonstop to clear his mind and to burn off his anger. It didn't quite work as well as he had hoped. He still had plenty of anger to burn off, but it was passed 10 o'clock and he had to get up early for work tomorrow.

He looked at the mirror and glared at his reflection. He hated feeling like this. He especially hated being mad at Anna, but he couldn't help it. All those things she said…did she really mean it? Is that really how she felt? Did she really think he wasn't attracted to girls? If she thought like that…then she definitely didn't consider him the way he considered her. He had done everything he could for her even when she continued to be ungrateful and sometimes insult him. Maybe she was tired of him. It hurt Yoh, and some reason, hurt turned into anger. And, if there were even the slightest chance she didn't mean it, she wouldn't say sorry. She wasn't the type to do that. Maybe Yoh and Anna…weren't to be.

Yoh put his head in his hands and let out a frustrated grunt. He hated feeling like this! He walked out of the bathroom and decided to pull out the bed and then change to his pajamas. If he slept, he didn't have to think about it, but then again, how could he fall asleep with such a heavy weight on his mind? The things she said wasn't going to go away over night and his anger would last until he could hear an apology from her…He might never get rid of this feeling.

_I felt terrible. My head ached from the swirl of emotions building up inside of me. I was upset, hurt, confused, angered, and saddened. Running helped just a bit, but as soon as I stopped running, the pain came back. She yelled at me and I yelled at her. We have gotten into arguments before, but never like this. For her to yell was normal, but for me to yell…and like that? Never. But it…it pissed me off. And it…it hurt…It was almost like my heart was broken. How could she? I thought……No, I was wrong. Anna doesn't want to be with me anymore. She's tired of me…and I'm just another problem to her._

Yoh lay down on his bed, staring at his ceiling. Little did he know, she was doing the same. Neither could sleep and they probably wouldn't be for a while. Questions and possibilities ran through their heads and none could be answered or proven. They only had their own thoughts corrupting their minds and poisoning their hopes. This was truly hell.

The next day Yoh had left for work without saying anything. His mind was clouded with anger and sadness…He didn't even want to look at Anna. If he did, then who knows what would happen? He might get even angrier and not have control over what he says, or he might get soft. Either way, he didn't want to yell at Anna more, and he didn't want to get weakened by her. Even he was confused on how he should act. It was the first he had ever gotten mad at Anna. But he did know that_ she_ had to apologize, not him. Also, if she was tired of him, then he didn't want to get in her way.

Anna was awake when she heard the door shut. Even though she knew that he wouldn't say goodbye, her heart still sunk when she didn't hear it. She got up to see if he left her a note like he usually did when he leaves early like this, but there was no such thing. She sighed as she already knew the outcome. She shouldn't have said all those things to Yoh; her mind repeatedly reminded her of that. Regret was so much in every inch of her body that she could almost taste it. It hadn't even been a day yet, but she was already tired of this fight. What was she going to do if Yoh didn't talk to her?

It wasn't as though she only wanted to talk to Yoh so he'd do her favors, like he assumed, but she really wanted to talk to him, like normal. Yoh…was the only person she ever trusted…if she could no longer talk to him, then who could she trust? She'd be an empty shell again. Life would truly not be worth living. But even if she tried to escape life, Yoh, no matter how angry he was at Anna, wouldn't allow it. She needed to leave and get far away from here. She needed Yoh to forget about her. But first, she needed to apologize. Even if it was the hardest thing for her to do, she needed to do it, because living with this guilt would be a fate worse than hell.

For the next few days, they did not talk to each other. It seemed as though Yoh didn't even look at her. Sure she wanted to apologize, but fear consumed her body. What if he ignored her? What if yelled more? What if he didn't accept her apology? Anna sighed. She never thought she'd see the day where she was afraid of little old Yoh.

Yoh was working and Anna decided to step out to look for new places to stay. With Yoh not on her back, it was definitely easier to look for a new job and a new place, but, much to her surprise, she sure did miss Yoh's concerned remarks.

Anna headed towards the dining area, but in order to do that, she had to pass the lobby area where Yoh was. Anna frowned. Yoh was laughing and smiling: he was talking to Julie. Sure, whenever Anna got a glimpse of Yoh alone he looked upset, but whenever Yoh was with Julie, he was smiling. Anna sighed as she leaned against the wall.

"Oi, Anna."

Anna rolled her eyes at the sound of the voice, "What, Hao?"

"What's with you and Yoh? Are you guys fighting?"

Anna attempted to walk away, but then said, "Yeah. He yelled at me."

Anna walked away towards the diner while Hao stood there dumbstruck. He started to blink as what she said processed in his mind. Then he caught up to her, "Wait, wait, wait, wait! _He_ yelled at you?"

Anna turned and started at him with emotionless eyes, "I yelled first. Then he yelled back."

"Wait, wait! I don't get it! Yoh would_ never_ get mad, especially not at you!"

Anna's eyes narrowed as she frowned, "I know. I went over the edge."

"You must've gone _waaaay _over the edge!"

"Hao, you're not making things any better!" Anna stormed off.

Hao's eyebrows furrowed. Things were not right here, "No matter what Anna says, there's no way he'd get mad, right?" It was time he had a talk with his little brother.

"Oi, Yoh," Hao walked to the front desk, "What's up with you and Anna?"

Yoh's smile disappeared, "I don't want to talk about it."

Hao looked at Julie with a sweet smile, "Excuse us?"

"Sure," Julie nodded and left with a quick smile and wave.

Hao looked at Yoh with a serious look. Yoh rolled his eyes, "We're in a fight."

"What do you mean? You never get mad, especially not at Anna. I mean, I know I told you to grow some balls, but I never thought you'd do that!"

"She said some out-of-line things and I got mad."

"She told me you yelled at her. You didn't, did you?"

Yoh paused. He opened his mouth slowly, "I did. And this time I'm not apologizing. She has to."

"You know she won't…"

"If she really respected me as a friend, she will. If she doesn't, then I guess we're not friends."

"But Anna means too much to—"

"I know what she means to me!" Yoh almost yelled, but then said softer, "I want to know what I mean to her."

Then two customers came in. Hao looked at Yoh and said, "We'll talk later."

Yoh slowly nodded, he could trust his brother. He turned towards the two customers and put on a fake smile, "Welcome to the En Onsen and Inn. How may I help you?"

Hao walked away and wondered about the details of the fights. What could Anna have possibly said to make Yoh yell at her? He was actually a little proud of Yoh for standing up for himself for once, but he was actually quite sad; he knew how Anna was. Kyoyama Anna apologized to no one.

Anna walked into the kitchen area. She looked at the time and whispered, "Just in time."

"Anna!" Tamao waved from the kitchen area, "I'm just cleaning up, I'll be there in a second!"

"Don't worry about it," Anna said sincerely, well, for her, "Take your time."

"Okay," Tamao said coming up to Anna while taking off her apron, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well," Anna looked down, but then looked up, "I want you to teach me how to bake a cake."

The pink-haired girl blinked, "A cake? What for?"

"Just teach me, please, Tamao?"

Tamao's face softened, "All right. Let's go to my apartment and I'll show you."

Anna gave a slight smile as they walked out of the inn and toward Tamao's apartment. Once there, Tamao set up the stuff to bake a cake. She had a bunch of kitchen ware and utensils. She was in college majoring in the culinary arts, so Anna made a good choice coming to Tamao for baking advice.

Anna caught on to the steps fast, but she took it slow; this cake had to be perfect.

"Have you ever baked before?" Tamao asked, "Because, um, no offense, but if haven't baked before then it could come out bad…"

"Don't worry, I've _cooked_ before, I just don't like doing it," Anna looked at Tamao, "Why? Am I doing something wrong?"

"N-no!" Tamao stammered, "I was just warning you."

"It better come out good," Anna mumbled.

"Um…uh, is this…for Yoh?" Tamao didn't look at Anna for fear Anna would glare. Instead, Anna gave a sad look while she continued stirring the batter, "I…I heard you two were fighting." Tamao was bold today.

"I…" Anna parted her lips, "…deserved every bit of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Yoh yelled at me…"

Tamao looked shocked, "Yoh?! H-he…he wouldn't…"

Anna gave a somewhat cold laugh, "I get that a lot. I really pissed him off. He won't even look at me."

Tamao sadly looked down, "…I'm sorry…"

"No,_ I_ am," Anna said quietly.

There was a bit of awkward silence on Tamao's part, but then she quickly looked at Anna and smiled, "Well then I'm going to help you bake the best cake ever made in this kitchen!"

Anna gave a small, almost sad smile, "Thank you, Tamao."

Then they started to concentrate on making the cake. Baking a cake took longer then Anna expected, but she somewhat enjoyed it nonetheless. She had some bonding time with Tamao and it made her feel a little better. Tamao reassured her that everything would be all right and Anna so badly wanted to believe her.

"Alright," Tamao looked at their work, "We finished! He likes vanilla frosting, right?"

"I'm sure," Anna looked at her cake, "Do you have any icing?"

"Um…yeah! What color?" Tamao looked through her cabinets.

"Orange."

"Okay, here," Tamao handed her the tube.

"Don't look," Anna said while opening the tube.

Tamao gave a slight laugh as she covered her eyes.

Anna wrote slowly and clearly. When she was done she put her hands on her hips, "I don't suppose you have a box I can put this inn?"

"Oh, yes!" Tamao said while moving to her cupboard, "May I look yet?"

"Yes, but not at the cake."

Tamao gave a little laugh as she took out a cake box and handed it to Anna while looking the other way.

Anna put the cake in the box and covered it, "Thanks."

"Well, since I made a cake with you, would you like a piece of cake?"

Anna stared at it. It sure looked tempting…

"C'mon, Anna," Tamao started to cut it, "You're going to have a piece."

Once Tamao cut two slices, one for herself and one for Anna, they sat at the table and started to eat it, "I hope mine came out as good as yours did, Tamao."

"I'm sure it did!" Tamao took a bit and smiled. After a few more bites, Tamao decided to speak, "Hey Anna?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

"What?"

"I mean," Tamao looked down and smiled, "When I was little, I always wanted to talk to you…I wanted us to be friends…but I was, uh, scared…and then you moved away and I thought I wouldn't see you again and that I missed my chance," Tamao lifted her head to look at Anna, "But you came back to us. And…and I wasn't too sure if we were friends until now…But now that you came to me for help, I'm sure we are! And I'm very glad!"

Anna was a little shocked to her Tamao's little confession, but then Anna smiled, "Thank you Tamao. You're a good friend and I'm sorry I've been so selfish." Anna got up and grabbed her cake-box.

"Thanks for coming over! I'll see you later!"

Anna nodded as she walked out the door, "Thanks for having me!"

Anna walked the streets of Funbari alone as she looked at all the buildings. If she was going to move, she should do it soon. She felt bad because now Tamao was very hopeful about their friendship. But things would be better if Anna wasn't around. Things would be easier for everyone. Everyone was just fine without her before, so why should there be a difference if she leaves this time?

When Anna reached the Inn it was already late, so she figured that after she set the cake in place, she'd go to bed. Once reaching the room, she felt butterflies in her stomach, was Yoh home? She didn't see him at the front desk. She descended down the stairs and saw that the couch was still a couch. Good, he wasn't home. She walked into the kitchen and placed the cake-box on the counter. She wrote a note "For Yoh only" and placed it on top of the box.

Anna sighed as she ascended up the stairs. A cake wouldn't make up for all she'd said, but she was hoping it would calm him down a bit. Anna changed into her pajamas and decided to go to bed. Making Yoh a cake made her feel a little better, but now she was nervous, she knew that tomorrow she would have to confront him. She'd have to say she's sorry. She closed her eyes. Tomorrow is a big day.

Anna woke up and looked at the clock next to her. 8 o'clock. "Yoh's at work," she whispered. She sat up, either he said goodbye and she didn't hear it, or he didn't say goodbye and he was still angry. She ran a hand through her hair and got up. She had to look at the cake.

As she descended down the stairs, each step got slower. Butterflies must've been dancing in her stomach. She was so nervous she could almost throw up. Why? Why was she so nervous? Nothing like this had ever bothered her before. She suddenly felt dizzy and was losing breath as she reached the last step. Anna took a deep breath and walked faster. There was no time to worry.

She stood in the doorway of the kitchen and didn't look at the counter yet. What if she found the cake in the trash? She didn't know what to do then. Anna took another deep breath. She shouldn't just stand here and worry. What happened to her? She above all others would usually just like to get things over with.

To Anna's relief, she found that the cake-box was there. She walked over to it to see the note she left now on the side of the cake instead of on top, which means Yoh must've looked at it. She quickly opened the box to find a piece of cake missing. Anna felt relieved; the missing piece meant something right? The words "I'M SORRY" were still clear on it. Anna felt better. Now all she had to do was talk to him. Knowing that he at least looked at the cake calmed her nerves. He at least knew her intentions now.

Anna took a deep breath. This wasn't like her at all. She didn't like feeling worried or nervous, so she tried to step it up. This, though, made her realize her emotional state. All these years, she always hid her emotions from everyone…but Yoh always brought them out of her. But because she was away from Yoh for so long…she wasn't used to feeling anything like this. She got used to always hiding her emotions and not feeling any of them, but here she was…barely two months and she's felt more emotions in those two short months then she has in the past 7 years. These emotions were overwhelming and ganging up on her…sometimes she didn't know how she'd take it.

She decided to avoid him while he was working. She didn't want their conversation to be cut short by the limits of his breaks or hers, so she decided to wait until they were both done with their shifts to confront him. She got dressed quickly and waited for Yoh to go on his break before she passed the front desk. With all the free time she's been getting, it wasn't too hard to check out a new apartment or a new job. Even though Anna was apologizing, she still decided that she'd leave. She just felt that Yoh needed to know that she didn't hate him or mean all those things she had said.

Anna had returned just in time to change for her shift and start. As hours went by, she started to get more and more nervous. Her face didn't show it, but she could feel it in her stomach and her hands had to constantly occupy themselves. She tapped her pen rather quickly as her eyes shifted towards the clock. Closer and closer…she could feel it. And as her stomach kept turning, she couldn't help but ask why one boy would make such an impact on her life?

Anna's shift ended. As she walked closer and closer towards the room, she could feel her stomach dropping. Her perfectly sturdy face started to falter and turn pale. Her hand was on the door. Maybe she wouldn't confront him? Maybe, since her room is next to the front door, she could slip in unnoticed? She opened the door and heard nothing. There was no noise…Was Yoh even home? She passed her room and decided to check it out. She went down the stairs to see that the couch was still a couch and that no one was in it. Then she looked towards the kitchen to see the light on. There he was…there was Yoh writing something.

Anna hesitated as she stood in the doorway. Yoh looked up at her from the table. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he looked at her.

"Yoh, I—"

"Are you hungry?"

"—huh?"

Yoh stood up and showed her what he had been writing, "I was writing you a note asking you to meet me at the diner."

Anna looked at her clothes, "I, uh…"

"You go up and change. Meet me and we can talk then," and with that he left.

Yoh's tone was indefinable. She couldn't tell if he had forgiven her or if he just wanted to hear her pathetic excuse of an apology to decide whether to forgive her or not. Either way, Anna didn't waste her time in getting ready to meet Yoh. She hurriedly put something on and rushed to the diner. She so badly just wanted to get this fight over with. It had bugged her more then anything ever had before.

She entered the inn's diner and saw Yoh sitting there. She went over to sit across from him. Yoh looked at her, somewhat emotionlessly. He didn't smile, but he didn't look angry either.

"Yoh," she looked at him in the eye, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean anything I said. I don't know why I—"

"Y'know," he interrupted, "That is the first time I heard you sincerely apologize."

"I mean it, Yoh: I'm…sorry."

Yoh just looked at her. She wanted to know what he was thinking…she wanted to know if he had accepted her apology. Then he opened his mouth to speak, "Are you apologizing so you'll feel better and I'll start doing favors for you, or do you really mean it?"

"Yoh. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"You said all those things to me, and yet you didn't mean that."

"I swear I didn't mean what I said back there. I was mad, and I took it out on you, but please believe me when I say I'm sorry. You know me, Yoh, I usually don't apologize."

Yoh stared at her for a while. He could see in her eyes that she really meant it. He sighed, "Are you hungry?"

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. Why did he keep asking that? "No. I don't have much of an appetite right now."

"Okay," Yoh stood up, "Me neither. Let's go back to the room then."

Anna inwardly sighed as Yoh started to walk off. She couldn't predict what he was up to. Was he doing this on purpose? Why was he so difficult? Was she always this difficult?

"Besides," he said as they made their way to the B level, "I'm more in the mood for cake."

Anna paused. What did that mean? It was driving her absolutely crazy not knowing what he meant, or how he felt. It was hard for her to understand him, especially since he hardly had an expression on his face. Yoh had never been like that before. He always showed his emotions, but maybe now that he's not…maybe _he_ didn't know what to feel either. He was in the mood for cake though, so that was a good sign, wasn't it?

When they reached their floor, Anna felt awkward. She didn't know whether she should just enter her room then and there, or if she should follow Yoh to the kitchen.

"Do you want some cake?" Yoh spoke and almost made her jump.

"No, I made it for you and only you."

"Why's that?" As if he didn't know.

"Because I'm truly sorry, and," Anna looked down, "You're the only person I'll apologize to."

Yoh gave a little, almost non-visible smile, "Well, come down with me anyway."

So, she followed Yoh down the stairs and into the kitchen. He started to make some Hot Chocolate and prepared to cut the cake.

"Yoh," Anna had to know, "Do you forgive me? Are you still mad?"

"What you said really hurt."

Anna looked down.

"But," he placed a cup of Hot Chocolate in front of her, "You apologized, and you're sorry. I know how hard it is for you to apologize, so I believe you, Anna. I…forgive you. I'm glad you apologized."

Anna gripped her cup and looked at the creamy chocolate, "I…don't want to be a burden anymore."

Yoh looked at her as she stood up, "What do you mean?"

Anna started to walk into the T.V. room, "I…am going to move to another town and get a new job…support myself. You can have your old room back."

Yoh opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out; what was he to say to that? He stood up and followed Anna to the next room, "Anna!"

"I'm…sorry," Anna looked down as she put her hands on the couch, "I never thanked you, but I want you to know that I've very grateful to you and I couldn't take it if you were mad at me when I left."

Yoh walked over to her. He couldn't think of anything to say to make her stay. What he said must've really gotten to her head and though he meant it and was furious at the time, he didn't want her to leave. He'd take it all back if it meant her staying, "Anna, for what I said before, I'm s—"

"No! Don't apologize!" She quickly interrupted, "I know you meant what you said; it was true. I know it was…you're not the one who has to be sorry…"

"Anna," Yoh embraced Anna with his strong arms, "I'm glad you apologized."

"Me…" Anna wrapped her arms around him, "…too…"

"It means a lot to me," he rested his chin on her head.

"You're the only one I'll apologize to," She buried her head in his secure chest.

"That means even more."

"Yoh…" she said as closed her eyes, taking in his relaxing, soothing scent.

"Anna," he closed his eyes too and breathed in Strawberries and Champagne, "Don't leave."

"But, Yoh," she looked up at him, "I'm in your way here…_I'm_ holding you back."

"You're not holding me back," he looked at her, "I know I yelled and said that you were ungrateful, but you've apologized and said your thanks. You know me, Anna. I'm not a "hold-a-grudge" kind of person. I was mad, but I could tell that you really meant it when you apologized. You've said it more then once…that's _gotta_ mean something! Besides, I can't stay mad for very long, you know that. I hardly ever get mad."

"But Yoh…"

"Now you're the one saying 'but'."

Anna's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly.

Yoh laughed, "There you go! Now that's more like you!"

"Yoh, I'm getting _too_ comfortable here."

"Anna, you live here."

"No, _you_ live here."

"As do you Anna. You've lived here for the past almost 2 months. I've seen you get more and more comfortable here. You're becoming more and more like your old-self."

"That's not good…"

"How is that not good?"

"If…if Kyosuke comes back, I'll be weak again!"

"Anna, showing your emotions, your feelings, is not weakness. And don't worry if Kyosuke comes back, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you like he did before."

Anna buried her head back onto Yoh's chest and sighed.

"Anna. If you want to leave, you can. I'm not going to _make_ you stay. But I…I believe you belong here, with us…with me."

Anna held onto him tighter, "I belong with you…"

They stood there embracing each other just enjoying the comfortable, sweet silence between them. They breathed in each other's scents and stood there relaxed. Even though they were just in a fight and hadn't talked or looked at each other for what seemed like forever, it seemed like they were making up for it. Neither said anything, neither wanted to either; they just wanted each other close. To remember this, always and forever. She needed him more then anything, and he wanted her by his side forever. They belonged together; they were themselves together. Together is who they were. Apart they were only living a half-life. The truth was…they couldn't live without each other. They didn't function properly and life was meaningless without the other. To live without each other…would be like sin, so long as they were apart. They needed this time together. They needed each other.

After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart and stared at each other. Yoh opened his mouth, he was pretty sure he was speaking for both of them, "What should we do now?"

"Well," she thought, "I do owe you that movie night."

"A movie then?" Yoh asked while she nodded, "Okay! You pick the movie while I make some popcorn."

Upon his returning, Yoh sat on the couch while Anna laid down, resting her feet on his lap. Then she looked at him with a glare.

"I get it; I get it," he laughed, "Y'know, if you don't want me to do it, then don't tempt me."

"You're not the kind of guy to give into temptation, though, are you?"

Yoh shook his head, "Nope."

"See?" she turned her attention to the television, "That's why I do it."

Yoh smiled. Then they decided to settle with some movie they had never heard of. As they started to watch it…it seemed to be some kind of chick-flick. Yoh was a little bored of it as did Anna, so Yoh got up to get a blanket. When he returned, Yoh laughed and said, "Just in case we fall asleep from boredom…"

"_Emi, you're my one and only."_

"_As are you Takeshi."_

"_My love for you burns with the intensity of a thousand suns!"_

"_And my love for you will last as long as time itself!"_

Anna rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. I hate all this love crap."

"Not a believer in love?"

"Not _this_ love."

"What do you mean?"

"This is all talk. They met like what, a week ago? How can you be sure you love someone in a week? Besides…how can you believe 'I love you'? They're just words…anyone can manage to say words that they don't mean just to please someone else or to get what they want."

"So you're saying that they shouldn't say it?"

"I'm saying that they should _show_ it. Words hardly mean anything when anyone can manipulate them. Love should be an action, not a word. Some actions are louder than words," then she glanced at the television, then back at Yoh, "And when I say actions, I don't mean _this_."

Yoh looked at the television, Emi and Takeshi were making-out…passionately. Yoh laughed, "How long have they known each other?"

"Exactly, that's lust, not love."

Yoh looked at Anna, "Some things should be spoken, though."

"Like what?"

"Things like 'will you marry me?' If things aren't spoken, the other person might not get it."

"Well, yes, but you also give a ring to the person, its actions _with_ words."

"So, as long as the person matches their words with their actions?"

"Yes," Anna said, sitting up, "I'm tired now. I think I'm going to go to bed."

"You mean you don't want to watch the end with me?"

"I already know the ending," she stood up and stretched, "They get married and live happily ever after."

Yoh laughed as he stood up, "You're probably right."

"I don't care if I'm wrong either."

Yoh laughed, "Well I guess I'll go to bed as well."

Anna walked to the staircase and started going up. Yoh followed her, but stayed to the side. She was about halfway up, when Yoh decided to say, "Goodnight Anna, I love you."

Anna gave a little laughed as she dramatically leaned over the rail of the staircase, "As do I, darling." Yoh laughed as she reached out for him, "My love for you is like a thousand burning suns!"

He reached out for her hand, "And my love for you will last as long as time itself!" Then he kissed her hand.

Anna laughed, for the first time since they were little, she laughed. Yoh smiled; her laugh was a beautiful sound. Anna pulled herself back from the rail, "Thanks, Yoh. I haven't laughed like that since forever. I've been so rotten to you, and yet you still show me forgiveness."

"It was my pleasure," he smiled, "Anna…I will always forgive you, as long as you're sorry."

Anna smiled the smile that she only showed Yoh, "Thanks, Yoh. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Anna," he smiled that smile that was reserved for Anna only, "Sweet Dreams."

"You too," he heard as she disappeared on the upper level.

Yoh smiled. He felt good. For the last couple of days, he felt horrible, but now he was refreshed. Rage and sorrow had filled his mind, but he was just so pleased to hear Anna's first, real, sincere apology, that all the rage and sorrow dissolved away like sugar in water. He wasn't the type to stay mad, and he couldn't help it that once had heard her apology that he wanted to just tell her that it was all right. But he needed to stay cool and collected; he needed to hear her whole apology. Now it was like a weight was taken off his chest, and he felt light as air. His heart soared when he heard her laughter. He needed to hear that, he really did.

Yoh turned off the T.V. truth be told, he didn't give a damn about the ending either. He hated sappy, drippy, juicy love. He made his bed and crawled in. For the first time in about a week, he could finally sleep with ease. Heck, he could finally sleep—period. He closed his eyes. He and Anna will be alright.

_This morning, when I saw the cake, I didn't know how to react. It had said_ "I'M SORRY". _I didn't know what to do…I stared at it, but then slowly cut myself a slice. I was a little happy to see that she cared, but that technically wasn't a real apology. So throughout the day I thought about it. If she dared to make me a cake, (which I knew she hated baking) then maybe she did care about this situation. I knew she worked, so I decided that I'd just meet her afterwards, and that's when I was about to leave her that note. _

_Even though we fought, I somehow feel slightly closer to Anna. Maybe it was because she decided to stay with me for sure this time. When she said all those things, she said that she was mad and that she didn't mean it, but what was she mad at? She couldn't have been mad at me, right? She probably has a perfectly good reason as to why she was mad. She probably held in her anger to the limit and just exploded. In that case, I'd say she was perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

Whoooooo…longest so far!! 39 pages XO!! I should've just made it an even 40 pages XD Hehe, and the next chapter is lookin' to be even longer than this…if you can believe that it's possible. **I hope you guys enjoyed it!! I was actually thinking of making this chapter a cliffhanger like after they fought, but I thought you guys wouldn't like that, so I kept going until the fight was resolved. Unless…it would've been more exciting with the cliffhanger….ahhh too late for that. Haha. Oh well, I still hope that you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Oh and please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes…I was in a hurry when I was proof-reading this. **

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER:** well, again…and like always next week. Maybe sooner, I don't know. I've already started it, so we'll see. Hopefully not too long.

**Oh, and for all you Julie-haters out there, don't you worry, next chapter Anna will show her who's boss…haha. And also, the next chapter will have a lot of YohxAnna-ness, so the parts you've all been waiting for (well, kinda) will somewhat be in the next chapter! So please review and we'll see if I could get that chapter up quicker ; )**

**Until next time: Ja ne!**


	8. Nostalgia

**Dear Reviewers, I LOVE YOU!! : ) Really, thanks so much for reading, I thought maybe my story looked intimidating because it was so long. **I'm actually a little surprised that so many of you like long chapters, because me? Not so much XD Well, I mean I like writing long chapters…but I don't have the attention span to read them. I'm little Miss A.D.D. Haha, I'm surprised I get anything done. Usually I write like two pages and then get fidgety and have to come back to it. **Well anyway, back to my point. Thanks to all of you who read this! And a very special thank you to all those who review!!**

**Oh, and I think I may have over dramatized this chapter in the last chapter…maybe, maybe not, I guess that's up for you to decide. I wrote the whole Julie and Anna thing and it didn't come out the way I really intended it to…but I still think its sufficient. Personally, I'm proud of this chapter and I think it came out pretty good and what I wanted. I just hope this is what you wanted!**

**Ah! I'm sorry, one more interruption: There are probably things in this chapter that don't make sense…or might be a little impossible, but please, just bear it…**

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 7:

"Nostalgia"

_It had been just a couple of days since we made up. My anger for her had totally disappeared because she tired to show that she was sorry. She'd tried to help me out more, and she somehow seemed more comfortable. She wasn't moping around anymore and she seemed to smile a little more. More and more she was becoming herself again. Her fear of Haijime and her step-brothers was slowly dissolving and I knew she wanted to be here…with me._

"Yoh?" Anna stood at the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Yoh asked while rummaging through the refrigerator.

"Why do you and I have the whole weekend off?"

"Oh," Yoh looked up at her, "I didn't tell you?"

"No." She said slightly irritated as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, that's right…I didn't," he sheepishly laughed as he sat at the kitchen table, "Well I was hoping you'd go on a trip with me."

"A trip?" Anna blinked as she sat down across from Yoh, "To where?"

"Hick Town."

Anna's expression changed from curious to serious.

"Just because," Yoh fiddled around with his cup and then looked at her, "I heard that it's a Ghost Town…and they're going to tear it down and build a shopping center in its stead…or something like that. And I just thought that I'd like to see it one last time. You don't have to come if you don't want to, but I'd like it if you did."

Anna looked down and stared at the table. Yoh could tell she was thinking about it. Her head tilted upwards, but her eyes were still downwards; her lips parted, "That town…it haunts me."

"L-like I said you don't have to…"

"But I…" Anna looked at him, "I do want to go."

Yoh gave a slight smile.

"Who else is going?"

"Just me and you. No Hao, if that's what you're wondering."

Anna gave a slight smile, "That's good…When do we leave, and how are we getting there?"

"I have a morning shift on Friday, but after that, we'll go to my parent's house, and we're going to borrow their car, and drive up there ourselves."

"Yoh! It's Wednesday! You should've told me earlier!" She sighed and let it go, "Anyway, how long will it take us to get there? I've forgotten…"

"Well, since we're leaving after my shift…we will probably get there about mid-day on Saturday…"

"Saturday? It will take a whole day?"

"Yeah, but luckily we have Monday off as well, so if we leave Monday morning, she should be back by night."

"Hm…" Anna stood up, "Well, I have to get to work. We can talk about this more later."

"Alright," Yoh gave her a smile, "Have a good day."

As Anna walked away she gave a slight wave as acknowledgement of what Yoh said. Her mind was clouded with the past. She didn't know how to feel about it. She loved her life before Haijime and his sons came into the picture, but when he did, she hated life. But Haijime's been in her life for more than 7 years, so it was more hate then love, but she felt safe with Yoh. She was sure that Hick Town would haunt her and stir something inside of her, but as long as Yoh was with her, it would be bearable.

"Oi, Anna-chan," Hao said walking up to the front desk, where Anna was at.

"What?" she fiddled with the pen in her hand; not looking at him.

"I thought you'd be in a better mood…"

"Why's that?"

"Because you and Yoh have made up."

Anna looked at Hao, "That was days ago…"

"Don't tell me something else has happened…"

"No."

"Then what's with your mood?"

"I'm always like this…" she quit playing with her pen, "when you come to talk to me."

"Harsh, Anna."

"What is it you've come here for?"

"No doubt Yoh's told you about your trip right?"

"Yes, just this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yes," Anna was getting impatient, "What is it?"

"Are you going to go?"

"Of course, I have to."

"You don't_ have_ to," Hao leaned on the desk, "It's your choice. Yoh knows that you might have difficultly going back there, he doesn't want to make you."

"Oh, so Yoh leaves for the weekend and I stay here?"

"Well, I can take care of you in Yoh's stead…" Hao leaned closer.

"I'm not a baby," Anna backed up a little bit, "I can take care of myself!"

"I know," Hao gave a little laugh, "I was just joking."

Anna rolled her eyes.

"So, are you going to go?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Hao," Anna was annoyed, "I want to visit my mother's grave."

Hao looked at Anna a little shocked, he had forgotten about that.

"I want to go with Yoh," Anna looked away, "Because I don't think I can go there by myself."

"I see…"

"Is that all you came here for?"

"Yeah, I won't bug you anymore," Hao gave a little smile, "Have fun on your trip."

Anna gave little nod as acknowledgement as Hao gave a little wave as he left. Anna resumed her work. It was now about an hour before the end of her shift when she heard an oh-so-familiar voice calling her, "Anna!"

"Why, hello, Julie."

Julie gave a surprised look.

"What?"

"You said my name right!" Julie said with glee as Anna glared slightly.

"Is there something you need help with?" Anna asked with faltering patience.

"I was just wondering…" she adverted her eyes elsewhere and weaved her fingers together. Then she looked at Anna a little shyly, "Um, are you and Yoh on talking terms again?"

Anna felt like rolling her eyes and felt slightly mad at Yoh, "Did Yoh tell you about that?"

"No," Julie shook her head, "I just noticed that you two hadn't been interacting with each other as much."

"And what business is that of yours?"

"I…well, you see," once again her eyes looked elsewhere, "Yoh seemed very unhappy."

Anna's eyebrows lifted slightly. Every time she saw Yoh and Julie together, he seemed to be happy…

"I mean…I would talk to him, and he'd smile and laugh…but I think he was just doing it to humor me. When he stopped, I could see his sad smile…I could tell he was bothered by something."

Anna didn't know how to take this information in, and she didn't exactly know how to respond to it, so she just settled with saying, "Well, we are talking now. Everything's settled."

Julie gave a smile and gave a quick glance at her watch, "Oh, I have to go; I have class, but, Anna…"

Anna had a questioning look on her face.

"I…I'd like to talk to you, if that's all right…and I don't mean like this where we're limited. I don't have class this time tomorrow, do you have work?"

Anna paused; she wasn't too sure if she should agree, but curiosity got the best of her, "No, I don't have work this time tomorrow."

Julie smiled, "Okay! Can you please meet me in the diner around this time?"

Anna nodded. Julie's smile grew a little as she waved a goodbye to Anna. Soon a tint of regret hit her, she was a little nervous too. What did she just get herself into? She should've remembered that curiosity killed that cat.

The rest of the day went by quickly, much to Anna's discontent. Now she suddenly wished it skipped to Friday…who needs Thursdays anyways? She just wanted to be in the car with Yoh right now on their way to the former Hick Town. She needed a break anyway. It seemed that she was bombarded by questions today and she just wanted to get away. Tomorrow was probably going to be the same; Julie would probably ask her like a million questions.

"Tadaima," she said as she entered her home.

"Okaeri, Anna!" she heard Yoh say, "Did you have a good day at work?"

"Eh," Anna said coming down the stairs, "It was okay except for the part where people kept asking me questions."

"Oh? Who?"

Anna decided she wouldn't bring Julie into this more than she had to, "Hao. He kept asking me if it was all right if I went on the trip with you and if I wanted to go."

"Do you?"

"Oh, now it's _your_ turn to ask me questions?"

"Oh, well, uh," Yoh laughed sheepishly, "I just wanted to make sure."

Anna plopped on the couch, "I do, in fact…can we just leave now?"

Yoh laughed as he stood behind the couch down looking down at her, "You and I both have work tomorrow."

"You're the boss," her eyebrows furrowed, "Call it off."

"You know I can't do that…"

Anna's pout turned into a glare.

"Anna…don't give me that face…" he leaned a little closer.

"I'll give you whatever face I want."

Yoh blinked, "Something tells me that you're not looking forward to tomorrow…"

"Hmph." Anna looked away, "Never mind…I'll wait until Friday to leave."

"Do you really want to go that bad?"

Anna got up and headed toward the staircase, "I need a break…I just want to go."

"Anna, if you've got something bothering you, you know you can talk to me."

"I know, Yoh," she headed upstairs, "I'm tired…I think I'll go to bed early."

"Oh, okay, Anna," Yoh smiled, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Yoh," she said as she reached the top of the staircase, "Don't worry about me Yoh, I'm fine. I just want a break from work and stuff."

"Okay, Anna," she heard him say before she entered her room. She hoped he wasn't suspicious; she just really didn't want to talk to Julie and that was going to ruin her whole Thursday. She was somewhat afraid of what Julie would say and decided that it would be best not to hear it…but it was already too late. Anna sighed as she laid down for bed, "Please let tomorrow go by quickly."

Yoh stared at the top of the staircase and frowned…he wondered if she was really all right. Then he frowned more, "I _am_ a worry-wart…"

The next day went by very quickly indeed…it seemed to go straight to the point where Anna was supposed to meet Julie. Anna actually wasn't that nervous anymore; she just had little patience and wanted to get this over with. She walked into the diner and looked for the blonde beauty. There she was, sitting down, she wasn't hard to find at all. So Anna walked over to the table and sat across from Julie.

"Hungry?" Julie asked.

Anna shook her head, "You?"

Julie shook her head. She looked at Anna and she looked at Julie. Brown eyes met Blue, Strawberries and Champagne met Love Spell, "You're probably wondering why I asked you here…"

"Yes."

"Well…" Julie's eyes looked to the side, then they looked back at Anna, "What is Yoh to you? Are you two together?"

Anna paused. She definitely wasn't expecting that question, "No, we're childhood friends."

"I see…"

"Why did you want to know?"

"Well, because…." Julie avoided eye contact yet again. Her voice got quiet, "I like Yoh."

Anna's eyes widened. She tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. She already knew that Julie liked Yoh, but to hear Julie actually admit it was a shocker. Why? What was Julie's reason for telling her this? Anna didn't know how to respond, she opened her mouth hoping that something would just come out, but nothing did.

After seeing Anna's struggle with words, Julie decided to speak, "I like him, I don't know how he feels about me."

Anna was slightly angered. Even thought she knew that Julie liked Yoh, but just hearing her say it made her angry, yet……somehow she felt admiration for Julie being able to orally admit her feelings. Lord knows she never could. But anger overrode the admiration and Anna didn't know what to say. She knew that Yoh liked someone…he said so himself, she just didn't know who. Deep down she wanted it to be herself, but it probably wasn't. Now Anna was hurt. Her face showed none of these expressions, but in the inside she was so confused. What was she to do? What could she say? "Wh-why are you telling me this, Julia?"

"_Julie_," she frowned, "Isn't it obvious? There's a possibility that Yoh likes you, and not me. And I…I don't want to get in the way if Yoh likes you and you like Yoh. You're childhood friends, and I can't get between that bond. B-but…" Julie looked Anna in the eye. Blue and Brown clashed, "But if you're not going to do anything about it, then I will! I like Yoh, and I want him to be happy and smile, because that fits him best! I can do that! But…but you…you're always frowning and aloof! His smile is faltering…! A-and if you're not going to anything to keep up that smile then…then…" Julie's strong wind suddenly became mild as she saw the glare coming from the brown, piercing her blue.

"Don't you dare talk to me like you know me, _Julie_," Anna's glare stayed strong, "You have no idea what Yoh and I have been through. I've had hardships like you wouldn't believe, and obviously I'm not the happiest person around, but I can still make Yoh smile! I know Yoh…I may have spent more years apart from him then I did with him, but that's still longer then you've known him!" Anna stood up, the glare never faltering; the brown was still locked on the blue, "I may not be the one Yoh likes, but I'm not going to stop being near him. I am me when I'm with him, and that's all I need. Yoh understands me, and I understand him. Yoh's smile won't falter!"

Julie sat there struck with the powerful words Anna just threw at her. Anna now glared elsewhere and it was like Julie's eyes were free. Her brows furrowed, "Anna, do you like Yoh?"

Anna stood quiet, still glaring off into space.

"Well then I'm no different then you Anna. I may not be the one Yoh likes, but I'm not going to stop being near him either. He was my first real friend here in Japan. If he chooses you, then I will accept it. But he hasn't chosen you yet, so I won't stand down." Then Julie stood up. Anna didn't look at her, and she didn't look at Anna. There stood there for a short while until Julie decided to say, "See you later, Anna."

Anna didn't respond as Julie walked off. Anna's glared slowly left, but not fully. She sat down and crossed her arms. She couldn't think straight right now. Her mind only had two things in it: anger and Julie. But Anna knew for sure that she wouldn't be able to stand it if Yoh chose Julie over her.

She sighed as she got up. She really needed that break now. Tomorrow couldn't some soon enough. As she started to walk back to her room, she almost laughed when yesterday she thought that this talk that she and Julie would have might make them closer. If anything, it made her distaste for her stronger. Julie was probably not too fond of Anna anymore either.

"Anna?" Yoh called from the front desk when she walked passed it.

Anna abruptly turned around.

"Are you okay? You seem a little upset."

"No. I'm just tired," she said in an un-calming voice, "I think I'll go to bed early again. We have a long day tomorrow."

Yoh nodded, then opened his mouth, "Did you talk to Julie? She walked out off the diner as well…she also seemed a little upset."

Anna frowned.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

"Yoh, I'm not having a good day. Please don't make me explain it."

"Oh, okay," Yoh frowned, "I won't make you."

She saw his frown and she frowned. Julie's words rung in her mind; his smile was faltering, "Don't look at me like that. Julie and I had…'girl talk'. So I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

"Oh…" Yoh was slightly confused, but gave a little smile anyway, "…okay."

"Well, I'm going to go pack and go to bed early," Anna started to turn to leave, "So if you're not home before I go to bed, then Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Anna," Yoh smiled.

With that Anna left. She just needed to keep her mind off the whole Julie subject. It had never really occurred in Anna's mind before that Yoh's smile was faltering. The way Julie had said it made it sound like Yoh always smiled before, but when Anna came, his smile started to falter. Was it her fault? But…if Yoh didn't want her there then he wouldn't have asked her to stay and he wouldn't have invited her to the trip tomorrow. Stupid Julie, she didn't know anything.

Anna left the subject at that and decided to enter her room and start packing. The talk with Julie still somewhat bugged in the back of her mind, so she decided that she should just sleep the matter off and finish packing tomorrow. She changed and slipped into bed and dismissed the subject.

The next day, Anna woke up late. She didn't have work, so it felt good to sleep in. She got up and stretched a bit. Then she left her room to walk into the kitchen to find a note left by Yoh. It had told her that he left for work, and what time he gets off and what time they were going to leave. Anna's eyes shifted from the letter to the clock. That gave her 3 hours.

She decided to have something to eat and then finish packing. When she was finished packing, she decided to take a quick bath. When she came back, Yoh was already home, finishing up his packing.

"Hey, Anna," he greeted, "Almost ready?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Uh-huh. We have to walk over to my parents' house to pick up the car though."

"Okay, well I'm ready when you are."

"Alright, then we'll leave in a bit, 'kay?"

"Got it."

Yoh grabbed a couple more things and then picked up his bag, "I'll carry your bag if you want."

"No, it's alright, I got it," she said picking up her bag, "Luckily your parents don't live too far."

Yoh smiled, "Let's go."

Anna nodded as they made their way out. Before leaving the inn, Yoh stopped at the front desk where Hao was, "I can trust you to run this inn for the weekend, right?"

"Who do you take me for? Of course I can," Hao crossed his arms, then he smirked, "have fun on your little trip into nostalgia. Behave you two."

Anna gave a glare, then Yoh gave a 'grow-up' look, "I think you're the one who has to behave."

Hao laughed, "Whatever, just get going you two! You don't want it to take the rest of today and half of tomorrow, do you?"

"Alright, then we're off!" Yoh smiled, "See ya later, Hao."

"See ya little brother," then Hao smiled at Anna, "Bye, Anna-chan!"

Anna gave another little glare, "Stop calling me that. You know I'm going to see your parents right now…I can tell them all about your girlfriends……"

"Anna!" Hao yelped.

Anna gave a satisfied smirk, "Be seein' ya, Hao. _Behave_."

"Speak for yourself!" He yelled out while Yoh and Anna exited the inn.

They started off on their walk to Yoh's parents' house and there was a comfortable silence between the too. As they got closer to their destination, Yoh decided to speak, "Are you excited?"

"Anxious is more like it."

"Oh, well, I'm excited. I wonder if my house still looks the same or if it's even still there."

"Yoh?" Anan asked as they approached the house.

"Hm?" He stood on the steps as he looked back at Anna.

"Let's…visit our spot again. If it's there…"

Yoh smiled, "Sure thing, Anna."

"Yoh?" the door opened to show Keiko's expecting face, "There you are! Oh, hello, Anna-chan!"

"Hello Auntie Keiko," Anna slightly nodded.

"You act as if we're late!" Yoh said while coming through the door.

"Well, I thought you'd come by earlier! You won't get there until tomorrow at this rate!"

"That's okay, mom," he said while putting down his bag and then helped Anna with hers, "we understand that."

Mikihisa then entered the room with the car keys in his hand, "Ah, there you are!"

"Hey, Dad."

"Hello Uncle Miki."

"Hello Anna-chan! Has my boys been behaving?"

Anna's eyes went to Yoh, "Well…"

"Anna!" Yoh laughed, "Of course I've been behaving!"

Anna gave a small smile, "Hao's the one you have to worry about."

Mikihisa laughed while Keiko sighed, "Oh, that Hao…! We'll have to keep an eye on him…especially since Anna-chan won't be there to keep him in check."

Yoh laughed a "you've got that right" while Mikihisa handed Yoh the car keys, "Here. Drive safely son."

Yoh nodded, "Thanks. We'd better get going. I'll return the car Monday."

Mikihisa nodded while Keiko gasped, "Just a second!" She left the room, but then quickly came back, "Here. Take this with you." She handed Anna a photo album, "This is from when we used to live in Hick Town."

Anna smiled.

"You can look at it when you're on the rode, since it's a long drive."

"Thanks Auntie Keiko," Anna gave a smile.

Keiko smiled, "Have a fun trip you two!"

Yoh nodded as he hugged his parents goodbye and Anna did the same, "See you later!"

They walked to the car and put their bags into the trunk. Then Yoh unlocked the doors and they slipped in. They put on their seat belts and Yoh put the key in. He looked at her, "Ready?"

Anna silently swallowed, "Ready."

And they were off.

The drive had started at a slow pace, but steadily got faster. Yoh turned on the radio and Anna looked out of the window. The photo album was on her lap, every now and then she's glance down at it, like she was afraid to see what was inside. But after the scenery on the freeway got boring, Anna decided she'd look through it. It was a rather large photo album; it was probably filled with their time at Hick Town. The album was blue with the name ASAKURA in gold letters. She traced the letters before opening the book.

The first page was filled with pictures of Yoh and Hao's first day of school. It showed them in their uniforms and their backpacks. Hao was smiling while Yoh was looking rather nervous. She gave a soft smile as she turned the page. Most of the first few pages were just of Hao and Yoh, until a couple pages later, there she was. There was a picture of Yoh smiling from ear to ear while Anna had small smile on her face. They were only about 5 and Anna almost laughed when he saw Yoh's toothy grin; a few teeth were missing.

Every page from them on, Anna was in…maybe not every picture, but at least one picture per page. There was a picture of the 3 of them. It was Hao, Yoh and Anna. Yoh was in the middle smiling from ear to ear, while Hao and Anna had their arms crossed, glaring at each other. They were about 7 then. Then there was a picture where Anna was on a swing, while Yoh was pushing her. Though her hair was in her face, you could see her joyful smile. She was looking back at Yoh probably exclaiming, "Higher!" while Yoh happily smiled in return. Her fingers grazed the picture. What she wouldn't give to go back to those days. It had been so long…all she could remember from her past was the sorrow and pain, not the joy, but when she saw these, she realized her childhood wasn't so bad.

Soon it came to the point where Anna was in pretty much all the photos. They had pictures of everything: them eating ice cream, at the park, swimming at the lake, everything…there was even one that Anna tried to forget. The one where it was Yoh's birthday, and her mother thought it would be cute if Anna gave him a birthday kiss on the cheek, so not wanting to disagree with her mother, she did it. Just then Keiko had snapped the picture and that moment was captured forever. Anna felt a blush coming on so she quickly turned the page; thank goodness Yoh was driving.

This next picture made her stop. It was a picture of her and her mother. Her mother was smiling and Anna was smiling. She was so beautiful, her mother of course. They looked so much alike except Anna's mother had hazel eyes, while Anna had a dark shade of brown. Her mother also had beautiful blonde hair that was usually pulled back into a messy bun, but in this picture, it was down and long. Anna's fingers grazed the picture lightly. She missed her mom so much.

"You know, you look like her," Yoh said, startling Anna.

"What?" She didn't know he had been sneaking peeks.

"You look like Auntie Annabelle," he repeated.

Anna looked at herself in the mirror, then at the picture of her mother. She didn't look anything like her mother. Her mother was a pure, angelic woman. Anna looked in the mirror, disgusted at herself, she was a dirty forsaken being. Sure many may think she was pretty, but that wasn't true beauty they were seeing, it was their own lust. Her mother was beautiful inside out. Anna was a one-way shell.

"You know, what I always thought was most beautiful about your mom was her smile," Yoh turned towards Anna, "You've got that same smile."

Anna stared at Yoh, he almost expected the words "are you serious?"

"You do, Anna," he smiled at her, "You just don't do it enough to realize it."

Anna looked back at the picture and gave a little smile at she traced her mother's face, "Remind me to thank Auntie Keiko for letting me see this."

Yoh smiled and turned his attention fully back to the rode. She smiled as she turned the page, but then the smile turned into a frown when it was pictures from her mother and Haijime's wedding. There were pictures of Yoh and Hao in their tuxes and Anna in her dress. Anna was the flower girl and Yoh was the ring barer. There was a picture of her mother and Haijime. Annabelle did not have her beautiful smile, she had a sad one and behind the foundation and the eye-shadow and lipstick, there were bruises and cuts.

Anna quickly turned the page. The next few pictures of her were sad. She kept looking through to see her face get worse and worse until she was no longer in the pictures. She had also noticed that Yoh's smile was also slowly disappearing. His smile was faltering. She closed the album when she reached the end.

She stared at the word ASAKURA. A small smile graced her lips. She was all over this photo album like she was part of the family. She wished so badly that she was. The Asakuras have always made her and her mother feel part of the family and she secretly wished that when her mother died, Yoh's family would adopt her. She smiled as she traced the letters and whispered, "Asakura Anna…"

"Huh?" Yoh asked, "Did you say something?"

"Asakura…" she said louder, still tracing the letters, "…I like that name."

Yoh smiled as they continued their way to Hick Town. Anna continued to stare out the window, while Yoh, of course, continued to drive. It had now been hours and it was starting to get rather dark. Anna had fallen asleep and Yoh gave a light laugh. She was so cute when she slept. Anna must've been pretty tired though, because she didn't wake up until they reached the hotel that they would be staying at for the night. Anna tiredly got out of the car and yawned. She went to get a room while Yoh got the bags out.

Anna got the keys to the room and they made their way to it. Upon entering, they saw that the room only had one bed. It wasn't exactly what they were expecting, but it wasn't a problem. They were used to this by now. So the two got ready for bed, Yoh finished first and crawled into bed and then when Anna was done, he lifted the sheets for her like he's always done.

"Still no new pajamas, huh?" Yoh chuckled.

"Shut up," she said turning towards him, "You have to buy me some, remember?"

Yoh laughed mumbling a "that's right". He got comfortable and faced her, "Goodnight, Anna."

"Goodnight, Yoh," she said slowly as she closed her eyes.

"Sweet dreams," he said softly.

Anna's eyes were still closed as she smiled and whispered a "You too."

Yoh closed his eyes. He was happy that the last thing he saw before drifting off the sleep was her beautiful smile. He knew that this trip was a good idea. He was hoping that Anna and he could reminisce together about when they were little. He was hoping that he could show her the good in her childhood instead of the bad. If Anna could realize that, then maybe she could get back to being her old self and smile and feel safe, because that was most important.

Yoh and Anna were woken up by an annoying beeping sound. Yoh hit the snooze button on the alarm and mumbled something. Anna rubbed her eyes and sat up slightly. She looked over at Yoh and gave a slight smile at his sleeping face. He must've been tired from work and the long drive yesterday. She would've offered to drive for a little while; the only problem was she didn't know how to drive. So instead she decided that she'd wake him up after she got ready. She leaned over him to turn the alarm off. Then she lowered her head to whisper to him, "You sleep while I get ready, okay? I'll wake you up when I'm done."

As she lifted her head up and was about ready to get out of bed, she felt a tugging at her shirt. She looked over to Yoh, whose eyes were closed, "Thank you."

"You need this sleep," she said as his fingers let go of her shirt.

Anna got up and decided to take a long shower, just so Yoh could get a longer rest; it wasn't like Anna didn't enjoy it either. She waited until she was fully ready to wake Yoh. She tapped him and told him to wake up.

Yoh moaned, "You're done already? That hardly felt like anything!"

"Sorry. I took as long as I could."

Yoh got up and stretched, "No, its good you woke me up, we shouldn't have slept in this late." He got up and gathered a few things before entering the bathroom.

"Oh, Yoh, I'm going to step out for a bit, okay?"

"Where to?"

"Never mind, just get ready."

Yoh gave a slight laugh as he entered the bathroom and Anna walked out. Anna was actually stepping out so that she could get some breakfast for the two of them. When she returned, Yoh was out of the shower, gathering his stuff. He turned to her, "There you are!"

Anna held up a bag and said, rather unenthusiastically, "I come baring gifts."

Yoh laughed, "What's that?"

"Food," she put the bag on the table.

"Oh, thanks," he said, "But we should really get going, "It's already very late."

"How long till we get there?" she asked while rummaging through the bag.

"About 2 more hours."

"Oh, well that's not too bad," she said handing him an orange, "it's only 10. We'll get there by noon or a little later."

Yoh happily accepted the orange, "Alright, but once we're done eating, we gotta get going."

"Sure," Anna said while taking out an apple. Yoh sat at the table with her a smiled. She bit into her apple and then decided to say, "What are we doing first?"

"Well, I figured we could see the town as how it's changed, and we could visit our old houses," he struggled to peel his orange, "Do you have anything special you have in mind?"

Anna took the orange from his hands and started to peel it, "Not really, I just want to see my mother's grave, but I think I want to wait until tomorrow…"

She handed him the orange that she had started to peel for him. He mumbled a few words of gratitude and then said, while finishing the peeling, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, we'll do whatever you want to today," she bit into her apple.

Yoh smiled as he took a piece of his orange, "Okay."

The rest of their breakfast was in silence until they finished up and got their things ready to go. They packed everything in the car and then left. In only a couple of hours, they'd be in the bittersweet town of their childhood. They were blest to met each other but cursed to meet Haijime. They didn't know how to feel about the town of their birth; both the best and worst times of their lives were spent there. They weren't sure if they were happy or scared to return; nervous or anxious.

The two hours went by very quickly to Anna and Yoh, probably because the scenery changed from beautiful buildings to almost nothing. No one was out here and there were hardly any streetlights. The scenery changed so much, the building changed to trees and then the trees were changed from very lively to hardly alive at all. Things seemed so desolate. Hick Town was truly a Ghost Town now.

They had arrived, the once lush grasses of the farmlands were now dead and dry, but it seemed they were holding on for some kind of hope. The grass kept growing and it was still as tall as they had remembered. Yoh parked his car and they got out. They started at the town in front of them; this was Hick Town.

Both Yoh and Anna opened their mouths, but nothing came out. There was so much they wanted to see and remember, but so little time. Anna held the photo album in her arms and held it close to her chest. She wanted to revisit every spot that was captured in that memorable book. She suddenly wanted to run and frolic through the grass, but she was a different person now. How could she possibly do that?

"…wow…" was all Yoh could think to say. They looked around; instead of seeing the dead grass, they saw green grass where children were running through. They saw themselves laughing and running. This is their childhood. For so long they kept it suppressed deep within themselves that they almost forgot about it. They only remembered the bad things, and now, looking at this town they remembered everything, including the good. They couldn't run anymore, they were here, and they had to face their past.

"Excuse me?" a scruffy voice interrupted their thoughts and made them jump, "May I ask what you're doing here?"

They turned to see an old man who still had little white tuffs of hair on his head and a mustache and beard. Yoh decided to speak, "Oh, sorry to bother you. We're just visiting. We heard that Hick Town was going to be torn down and we wanted to visit it before it happened."

"'Hick Town'?" The man repeated, "I see, you must've lived here from before, right?"

"Right," Yoh nodded, "It's all right that we're here, right, Mister…uh…"

"Aoyama. I'm Aoyama Togashi," He introduced himself.

"I'm Asakura Yoh and she's Kyoyama Anna," he pointed to Anna while she gave a slight nod, "We used to live here about 8 years ago."

"I see," he ran a finger through his white beard, "So you want one last visit of the town?"

"Yes, is that all right?"

"Well I suppose. You two look like a nice couple," he smiled at the two, "Let me guess, you met here and were childhood sweethearts? And now you're here to reminisce?"

"Something like that," Yoh gave a slight laugh.

"Well then here," Mr. Aoyama gave Yoh the keys, "This is a key to every house and building here. They're all labeled, so you don't have to worry about scrambling around looking for the key to your old house."

"Wh-what?" Yoh was a little confused, "Why would you give us these keys so willingly?"

"Well I could tell just by the way you two were staring at this place how much it means to you. I've never really thought much of this run-down town, I've never even lived here, but when I saw you two's looks, it made me have a little hope of this town. To me it just seemed down right creepy," he looked around, "Besides, what are you going to do? If you trash the town it wouldn't matter, they're just going to tear it down anyway. And in any case, you two look like an honest couple."

"B-but, how do we return these to you?"

"Well it depends on how long you're stayin'."

"We're going to be here until Monday morning."

"Well then I'll meet you here at this spot on Monday," he gave a little smile, "Don't worry so much, kid. This is a Ghost Town, it wouldn't matter if I never got the keys back. I was just given them to check to see if any thing such as money or important valuables were left in any of the banks or houses."

"Oh," Yoh looked at all the keys, "I will return them though, so I'll meet you here on Monday."

Mr. Aoyama laughed as he started to walk away, "Well have fun, kids."

Yoh smiled, "Thanks so much Mr. Aoyama!"

"Oh," he stopped in his tracks and turned to them, "I have you warn you."

"About what?" Yoh looked up from looking at all the keys.

"About the haunted house."

"Haunted house?" Yoh almost laughed.

"Yes, it's far off from here, but it's got long, tall grass and a 'For Sale' sign out in the front," this sounded familiar to them, Anna's eyes widened, "It looks unkempt and ridged. It looks like no one's lived there for almost a decade. People believed someone died in there and no one will go near it. You should probably already know about this since you lived here before, but I'm just warning you anyway. I'm not superstitious much, but even being around that house creeps me out," he turned to leave, "Well, see ya later."

Yoh's eyes widened and Anna's bangs covered her eyes. She waited until the man was out of their sight to speak, "So my house is the classic 'haunted house', huh?"

Yoh looked sympathetically at Anna, "Anna…"

"Let's visit my house last, okay? Like…tomorrow."

"Okay," he didn't know what else to do but comply.

She held the photo album tighter, "So what now?"

Yoh jingled the keys, "How about we visit the school?"

Anna slowly looked up, "Alright."

They decided that they'd drive; Yoh had always wanted to drive on the dirt roads of Hick Town, but nothing was ever too far. The drive to the school was 8 minutes tops, which was practically nothing since they always had to walk to school. Once he parked the car, Yoh and Anna got out. Anna brought along her tote bag that was filled with snacks for their lunch. Once fully out of the car, they stared at the building in front of them; it seemed so much bigger when they were younger. Yoh rummaged through the keys until he found the one labeled "school". He unlocked the main door and they entered. There school was always pretty small, due to the fact that not many people lived in Hick Town.

They looked around at the lockers and at the classrooms. The doors to the classrooms weren't even locked. They walked in a classroom and sat down the desks that they used to have to sit in. They hated this class actually. It was math class and they could've sworn that their teacher was Satan's wife. She always made them sit in alphabetical order, so that meant Yoh always had to sit right behind his brother, and he was always rows away from Anna.

Yoh lifted the desk top to see that were was little scraps of paper that had math problems on it and run down pencils. He smiled as he picked one up and started to write something. Anna sat in her desk, wondering what Yoh was doing. She sat up straight with her hands folded neatly on the desk like she used to do back in this class. She gave a slight smile when she realized what Yoh was doing.

Yoh folded his paper into a paper airplane and aimed for Anna. Anna, playing the part, pretended to be paying attention to class when suddenly a paper airplane landed on her desk. She looked down and opened it:

DEAR ANNA:

MATH IS SOOOO BORING!! I WISH WE SAT TOGETHER. I DON'T GET ANY OF THIS! CAN YOU HELP ME? _PUH_-LEASE? : )

Anna smiled and she looked at Yoh who gave one of his goofy grins. Then he looked expectantly at Anna, waiting for her answer. She took out a pencil from her desk and quickly wrote, then she sent the plane back to him. Yoh smiled as he opened it:

NO : P

Yoh's face dropped as he saw her answer. Anna couldn't help but laugh when she saw his face. He looked up at her from the paper with heartbroken eyes, while she simply stuck out her tongue.

"Anna! How can you be so cruel?!"

She put a finger to her lips to quiet him down, then said, "Get your brother to help you."

"I don't want his help! He's mean and doesn't help, he just insults me!"

"And I won't?"

"Anna…" Yoh pretended to slump his shoulders, then leaned his head on his desk "You're so cruel…"

Anna smiled as she took out another piece of paper and wrote on it. When she was done, she sent it flying and it hit Yoh on the head. He opened it:

A heart was drawn.

Yoh smiled when he saw the heart. He looked over at her, she wasn't looking at him, instead she was playing with a strand of hair. He smiled as he looked at her, her eyes drifted from her hair to meet his eyes; she smiled, and he smiled. And in their minds, the bell rang, and class was over. They got up and right now, in their minds, they weren't 17 and 18, but 7 and 8. Yoh waited at the door for Anna and they walked out together. It was lunch time.

They made their way to the field area where they used to have lunch. They were a little surprised to see that there were still some healthy parts of grass on the field. They decided to sit where they always used to. Luckily there was still the tree that they used to sit under. Provided that the tree now was dead and empty, it was still nice to sit under. Fortunately, it was cloudy today and not sunny. The tree hardly had any branches or leaves and it wouldn't do much to provide them with shade.

Anna took out some snacks; an apple and an orange, "Sorry, it's the same as this morning."

"S'ok, I don't think I could ever get tired of oranges."

"Oh, I also bought these this morning," she took out some chips, "It was initially for the drive, but I think it'll be all right to eat it now."

So they sat and had there lunch under the tree. It had been a while, and then the wind blew some of the very few of the leaves the tree had left. A leaf landed on Yoh's head and little flower petals flew into Anna's hair. They looked at each other. Anna reached up a hand to take the leaf out of Yoh's hair. When she was done, he did the same for her. He took a few petals out and let the wind sweep them away. Then he took out the last, beautiful petal and put it gently on her nose. She smiled a bit, but then the wind took the petal.

"I wish I had a camera," Yoh said a little regrettably, "We could have a photo album of our own."

"We'll just have to remember this trip for ourselves," Anna said, putting the snacks away, "We can't let each other forget."

Yoh smiled and nodded. Then he took a look at his watch; they had already been out there for about an hour, "Wow, I forgot how fast time moves in this town. Well, what do you want to do now?"

Anna looked at the photo album in her bag, "Let's…go to the park…"

Yoh smiled, "Alright. First, let's drop the car off at my old house, and we'll walk to the park."

Anna nodded as she got up, Yoh soon followed. They walked out of the school, taking one last look through the halls and classrooms. When they were done, they got into the car and drove to his house. Luckily, he had still remembered how to get there despite it being nearly a decade. He parked in the driveway, just like he's always wanted to when he lived there so long ago. He smiled as he turned towards Anna, "You wouldn't mind if we step in for a bit?"

Anna shook her head, "We can drop off our stuff here."

Yoh nodded, "Good idea."

They went to the trunk to get out their stuff. He stood on the lawn and smiled. His home didn't look too different. He proceeded forward onto the steps of the porch, then he stopped, searching for the key. Luckily, the locks hadn't changed and it was easy to find. He opened the door and smiled once again as he saw that his old home had not changed very much. Sure the furniture may be re-arranged (but there was hardly any furniture at all) and the wall may be a different color, but it still smelled the same and was not re-modeled.

"Let's drop this off in my room," He turned his head towards Anna.

Anna nodded, if she had to guess, she'd guess that he was excited.

Yoh made his way down the hallway and to the second door on the left: his and Hao's room. He opened the door to see it almost exactly the way he had remembered it. There was Hao's bed and his bed. Yoh put his stuff down as he went over to his old bed. He laid on it belly-flat and used his jacket as a pillow. He closed his eyes and sighed a relieved sigh as he felt the familiar nostalgia that was over-flowing in him. He opened his eyes to see Anna standing by the window, "Anything wrong, Anna?"

Anna opened the window and looked down, "I used to have to stand on my tip-toes to be able to knock on this window."

Yoh sat up and smiled, "You don't have to crawl in the window anymore."

Anna turned toward him and smiled.

Yoh patted a spot next to him, "You'll be sleeping here tonight."

"And you?" she asked as she made her way to the bed.

"Beside you of course," he gave his goofy smile as Anna sat next to him.

Anna gave him a gentle smile as he returned it. Then he softly said, "Let's go to the park before the sun sets."

Anna nodded as they got up and prepared to walk to the park. They didn't worry about locking the house or anything because no one was there. They walked along the dirt rode. They didn't say anything, but they somehow knew what the other was thinking. Flashbacks entered their mind very quickly. When they were about 5 was the first time they went together, racing each other to the park while their moms stood behind and laughed. Then they remembered the first time they walked to the park by themselves. Their mothers were against it, they were only 7, but they did it anyway. They were pretty sure they knew the way, but just in case, Yoh took a hold of Anna's tiny little hand. Anna was shocked at first and attempted to pull away, but when she saw his little sheepish smile, she allowed it and they somehow made it to the park without any casualties.

Yoh laughed out loud at that little thought. Anna looked at Yoh with an eyebrow raised. He turned to her, "I was just thinking of the first time we walked by ourselves to the park."

Anna looked at him, "Oh." Her eyes widened slightly as she remembered exactly what happened. Then she remembered what happened afterwards, "We got in so much trouble."

"Yeah," Yoh laughed, "Luckily the park wasn't that far…but we still lot in a lot of trouble. But after that whole deal, our parents somehow let us walk home from school by ourselves."

"I know, how does that work out?"

Yoh laughed and then looked forward, "Oh! There's the park!"

Anna looked over to see the site…everything looked pretty old and rusted, but everything was still there, "Do you think it's safe?"

"Sure!" Yoh said, getting excited, "Wanna run?"

"What?" Anna asked as if he was crazy.

"We don't have to have a race or anything," he shrugged, "I just feel like running. I feel like I haven't run in a long time."

"I don't even remember the last time I ran."

"You were pretty fast when we were little too," Yoh smiled at her, "We could've been track buddies."

Anna nodded a little, "Alright, you can run…but don't laugh at me when I'm way behind."

"I won't run too fast," Yoh got into running position, "C'mon, Anna!"

Anna's expression turned a little reluctant, but got into a running position, "Are you ready?"

Yoh nodded eagerly.

"GO!"

And they were off. Yoh glided across the dirt road with a smile on his face, but he tried not to run too fast. Anna was slightly behind him as she looked at his face. They were getting closer to the park and she smirked. Yoh questioned her look while she, with all her might, bolted straight ahead, beating Yoh to the park.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Mou…" Yoh said, catching his breath, "That was not fair…"

"You should've learned by now," she was out of breath, "You always fall for that. You feel sorry for me, so you slow down, but then I beat you to it."

Yoh sheepishly smiled, "You're right…how could I forget?"

She finally caught her breath, "What first?"

Yoh stared at the park and saw them running around as kids, "The swings…"

Anna gave a little smile, "I was thinking the same thing…"

They made their way to the swings and Anna sat down, she was prepared to swing her until she felt Yoh holding onto her chains, pulling her back. She turned her head to look up at him. Before she could say anything, Yoh decided to speak, "I'll start you off, is that okay?"

Anna gave a small smile and nodded as she looked forward. He pulled her back and let go, she went pretty high for just starting. He pushed her and her smile started to widen. Her hair flew to and fro but she didn't care. A somewhat new sensation spread throughout her, she felt free. She just wanted to go higher and higher, in an attempt to fly free. She couldn't help but utter out, "Higher!"

Yoh smiled and un-hesitantly complied. He gave her a forceful push and she indeed go high. She was so high it almost seemed like she'd flip over the bar. Anna couldn't help but laugh a little. Yoh smiled; that's all he wanted out of this trip.

"Join me!" Anna said while swinging.

Yoh nodded as he got on the swing beside her and started off slowly. He ended up going pretty high, but not as high as Anna. At one point they started to swing at the same time. He looked at her and she looked at him. His smile grew as he saw her face. Not only was she smiling, but she was smiling showing off her pearly whites. Her hair covered her face most of the time, but he did see it. He saw the loveliness in her face and began swinging a little slower.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Huh?" He was brought out of his trance.

"You're slowing down. Are you tired?" Anna started to slow down, "We'll do something else if you want."

"Ah! N-no," Yoh started to push himself to go higher, "Nothing's wrong."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed as she didn't seem to believe him. She started to get slower, and then soon, she gracefully jumped off. She turned towards him with her hand on her hips. He took it as a sign and slowed down to jump off. Yoh landed and then looked at Anna. Her hands left her hips, "What now?"

"You know, I was never good the monkey bars, let's go."

Anna nodded as they went to the monkey bars only to smirk when she looked at them and then at Yoh.

"Not fair," he said, standing next to them. He was taller then the monkey bars. He took a hold of one of the bars and bent his knees to pick himself up, only to find that his knees touched the ground, "Great."

Anna went to the other side, she was shorter than Yoh, but she was about as tall as the monkey bars, so when she bent her knees, they lifted slightly above the ground. She started to swing herself to the side where Yoh was. It didn't take her very long at all.

"Show off," Yoh pouted, "You were always too good."

Anna smirked as she let go of the bars, "We're too big for everything now. You're too tall to go down the slide."

Yoh didn't stop pouting, "I never thought growing tall would be such a drag. I always thought of the pros instead of the cons."

"Well, make a list. Here's your first one."

Yoh laughed as he looked behind him and saw the position of the sun, "But there's one thing I will never out-grow…"

"What's that?"

"Follow me," he said as he got up.

Anna nodded as she got up. She had a feeling of where they were going. They made their way down the dirt road that looked oh-so-familiar. Anna smiled as she looked along the road. Yoh looked at his shoes, something he hadn't done in a while. He watched the dirt gather on it. He smirked. His shoes didn't need to be amazing anymore.

Finally, they saw something twinkling in a distance. They were close alright. Their paced quickened a little as a big tree was coming closer and closer. They looked at the grass, it was a little faded, but it was still green. Yoh looked at the tree and patted it, "Nope, I will never be too tall for this." He said as he climbed the tree. Once settled, he turned to help Anna up.

"It's been so long…" she whispered as she climbed up the tree. She scooted closer to Yoh and ran her hands along the bark, "It still feels the same."

"The view's still the same too," he said looking at the water twinkle as the sun started to come closer to it.

"Did you still come here, after I moved away?"

"Yes," Yoh looked down, "I came by myself sometimes after school to reminisce. It wasn't the same at all…it was very lonely; I stopped coming after a while."

"I thought of this place a lot," she stared at the lake, "Wherever I was, I wished that I was here instead…" then she whispered, "…with you." Then she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Yoh gently leaned his head on hers and smiled, "Me too."

They watched the sunset in a sweet silence. Nothing needed to be said and words could only ruin the moment. Time seemed to pass by quickly, yet slowly and soon the sun wasn't even in the sky anymore. Instead of the sun being reflected off the waters, now it was stars, but it was just a beautiful.

"It's getting late," Yoh lifted his head, "We should probably start heading back."

Anna lifted her head and looked around, "I forgot how dark it gets around here."

"Yeah, there are hardly any streetlights. We should get back before it gets too dark."

"Alright."

Yoh jumped down the tree and landed on his feet. The branch they were on wasn't too far from his head. He looked up at her, "Need help?" He lifted his hands for her to take them.

She jumped down, "I think I got it."

Yoh smiled as they started to walk back to his house. He put his hands in his pocket, "So what should we do tomorrow? You get to choose."

"Well," she squinted her eyes a little to see, "I want to go visit my mother's grave at some point…but not first thing in the morning."

"More towards the end of the day?"

"Yes," she reached out for his arm and linked with it. Yoh looked at her and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, she decided to speak, "I just don't want to trip over something on the ground. If I fall, you're going down too."

Yoh laughed, "Well, I really hope I don't trip…"

Anna glared at Yoh, "If you fall, I'm letting go!"

"Aw, but, Anna! I'll fall if you fall! What happened to falling together?!"

"I just don't want to fall, period."

"Tell you what, Anna: if you fall, I will catch you."

Anna looked up at Yoh, still linked with his arm, "Promise?"

"Promise," Yoh didn't know if she could see, but he smiled.

Anna smiled too, but she was hoping he wouldn't see. She decided to keep their arms linked. As the night got darker, she squeezed him a little tighter, not because she was scared of the dark, oh, no, she was more afraid of the embarrassment of her falling.

"Oh, look, there's my house!" Yoh pointed.

Anna looked ahead, "We should've left on your porch light or something."

"Well we didn't know we'd be gone for so long."

"True, but next time we should," she said as they got closer and closer.

Soon they reached the front of his house. They entered and decided that it would be a good time to go to bed, they had a long day and still some stuff to do tomorrow. Anna grabbed her bag and said that she'd change in the bathroom that was down the hall while Yoh got dressed in his room. When he was done, he sat on his bed.

"What's taking Anna so long?" he said quietly to himself as he stared at the ceiling. A couple seconds later he heard a knock on the window. At first his eyebrows furrowed, "What the…" He went to the window and opened it. There was Anna in her pajamas, standing outside of his window, "Anna? How did you…"

"Like old times, right?" She said as she prepared to climb up the window, "Now back up…and don't you dare look under my shirt!"

"Ah!" Yoh backed up and turned away.

Anna climbed up the window. It was much easier now than at that time. She sat on the windowsill, "There."

Yoh smiled at her as he walked up to the bed and lifted up the sheets for her. She crawled in, just like always, "Goodnight, Anna."

"Goodnight Yoh."

"Sweet dreams."

"Ditto."

Anna closed her eyes, but Yoh kept his open. They were so close. The bed seemed so much bigger when they were little. Now…their faces and bodies were so much closer. Anna didn't seem to mind though, so Yoh just decided to shrug it off. He closed his eyes and he smiled when he could feel her warm breath on his face. Just like old times.

The next day, Anna woke up first. She woke up _very_ close to Yoh's face. She sat up a bit and looked around. She forgot where they were for a second, but then remembered, Hick Town. She leaned back on her pillow and sighed and she threw an arm on her forehead. The movement woke Yoh up and he rubbed his eyes. He looked around as if he forgot where he was too.

"Oh," he said when it hit him, then he laughed.

"What's so funny?" Anna asked without moving her hand.

"I forgot where I was."

"Oh, I did too for a little bit."

Yoh got up and stretched, "Well, ready for round 2?"

"I guess," Anna said as she sat up, "Do you mind if I get ready first?"

Yoh shook his head, "I'd like to check out the house anyway."

Anna got up and headed to the bathroom; her stuff was still in there from last time. She took a quick shower because she had no idea how long the water heater would work…it must've been more than 20 years old.

She came out of the bathroom wearing a blue sleeveless shirt and a white skirt that was just above the knees. Then she went back to the room to alert Yoh that she was done. He nodded and headed towards the bathroom. While he was doing this, she decided to look around the house too. It wasn't that different at all.

When Yoh got out he went to the room to see Anna looking through her bag, "Something wrong?"

"We have no more food. And this town looks like it doesn't either; even if it did…I wouldn't eat from here."

"Shall we go get breakfast and come back?"

"I guess."

"Okay, let's go!" Yoh said grabbing his keys. Anna nodded and grabbed her bag.

Luckily there was a little diner not too far from Hick Town. It was also next to a gas station with a snack shack. They quickly ate at the diner, but then decided to pick up some snacks from the store.

"Is that all?" Yoh asked Anna he walked towards the register.

"Wait…"

"What is it?"

Anna handed him an object.

"A…?"

"Camera."

"Ah!" Yoh took it, "Good idea! We can make a photo album for ourselves! Grab another just in case, yeah?"

Anna nodded and then handed him another camera.

"Um…" he put the things on the counter, "Do you mind if we quickly revisit the places we were at yesterday? Just so we can take a picture of them?"

Anna shook her head, "Actually I was thinking that too."

"Great," Yoh said and he paid the cashier.

"But," Anna got his attention, "Let's save our spot for later. I wanna return there later today."

"Sure thing," he said as they made their way out of the shop.

So they went back to the school as their first stop. They took a picture of the outside and then the hallway inside. Then they headed to their math class and sat in their seats like yesterday.

Anna had the camera in her hand and looked at Yoh, "Act natural. Pretend I don't have a camera."

"Okay, I'll try." He got a little nervous…he knew that she had the camera which made it harder to act natural. But then he smiled as he got a paper from out of his desk and started writing. Then he turned toward her when he was finished.

"Catch," he said. He bit his bottom lip a bit as he aimed and fired. Anna quickly snapped a picture and the airplane came and gently fell onto her desk. She opened the note and it said:

TOSS THE CAMERA PLEASE : )

Anna looked at Yoh a little unsure.

"I'll catch it, I promise."

"Okay…" Anna tossed the camera underhanded.

Then Yoh gasped, which made her gasp. She sat up a bit to see what he was gasping about, but he started to laugh, "Just kidding, I caught it."

"Don't joke like that, it's not funny," Anna scolded with that serious face of hers, "If you broke that—"

Snap.

"Yoh! I was in the middle of talking!"

"Keep acting natural like that," he snapped another.

"Yoh! Stop!"

He laughed as he pretended to take another picture of her getting flustered. Then Anna stopped and turned to face the front. She, frustrated, took a strand of her hair and started to play with it like she used to when she was little and frustrated. Yoh smiled as he took another picture, "That's better."

"Oh?" Her eyes shifted to him swiftly and coldly, "You like when I'm frustrated with you?"

"No," Yoh laughed, lowering the camera, "I was trying to get you to play with your hair because you used to do that a lot during class."

Anna just kept staring him down. Yoh started to get nervous and was about to say something, but Anna turned to her desk and started writing Yoh back. Then she turned to throw it back at him. Yoh took a picture and caught the plane. He opened it up.

JERK (

Yoh laughed and as he wrote back ad sent it to her. She accepted it and opened the letter.

: D and a little heart

Anna gave a gentle smile, and without realizing he did, Yoh snapped a picture. Anna looked up and then at Yoh, "We should go."

"Okay," Yoh said getting up. He waited for Anna at the door. When she got there, he didn't move.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Stand by me."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Anna stood by Yoh in the doorway and he put his arm on her shoulder and scooted closer, "Say Cheese!"

Yoh gave one of the goofy smiles he used to when he was a kid and Anna gave the small smile she used to give as a kid.

"Okay, let's go!" He smiled.

"Alright," Anna nodded, "Let's stop by your house, and then walk to the park and then the cemetery."

Yoh nodded, "Okay that sounds good. Oh, but let's drop my car off at your house, that way we can just walk to your house."

Anna nodded as they drove back to Yoh's house and he took a picture of the outside and then he went inside to take a picture of his room. Anna went outside and stood by the window as Yoh took a picture. Then Anna crawled in (as a picture was taken) and she took the camera from Yoh. He gave a goofy smile as he lay in the bed. She took a picture just so they could compare how much he's grown.

"Okay, let's go, before we run out of time," Yoh said getting up.

Anna nodded as they got into Yoh's car. Driving to Anna's house took almost no time at all. Anna didn't look at her house though. Yoh noticed that she looked everywhere else. So Yoh hurriedly parked the car and they got their things and headed towards the park. Not once did Anna turn to look at her house, but Yoh decided that it was better not to ask.

It didn't take too long to get to the park. Once there, Anna went up to the swings and Yoh started to push her. Yoh took the camera out of Anna's bag and once she started to swing higher, he moved in front of her to get a picture.

"But, how will we get a picture of you?" Anna asked.

"That's all right, the swings are all yours, I don't mind at all."

Anna smiled, and Yoh took another picture. Then Anna gave him a dirty look, "Stop taking pictures of me every chance you get! We'll run out of pictures!"

"We have two cameras!"

"That's not the point! This whole photo album will be of just me if you keep taking pictures!" she said as her swinging pattern started to slow down.

"But I'm fine with that—"

"I'm not! It's supposed to be _our_ photo album, and I want pictures of you in there too!"

Yoh lowered the camera and smiled, "But I have plenty of pictures of me. In fact you can have some if you want, but I have only a hand full of you. I want more, so please, Anna, let me take pictures of you."

Anna was a little taken aback by his tone and her swinging was coming to a stop. She looked down and then to the side, "F-fine. But don't get annoying."

Yoh smiled, "Thanks!"

"But I still want pictures of you."

"Hai, hai."

"Speaking of which," Anna stood up from the swings, "Go stand by the monkey bars."

"Aw, no, Anna, c'mon."

"Do it."

His eye brows furrowed.

She glared.

He sighed, "Oh, alright."

He stood by the monkey bars with a pout on his face and Anna snapped the picture. When she was done she looked at him, "Is that all?"

"One more, let's go back to the swings."

So they went back and Yoh sat down and patted the seat next to him. Once Anna sat down, he waved for her to scoot closer. So Anna held onto the chains and leaned towards Yoh. He held out the camera and smiled while Anna gave a small smile and he snapped the picture.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, but," Anna leaned away, "No pictures please. Maybe just one of my mother's grave, but that's it."

"Sure thing." Yoh said getting up and lent a hand to help Anna up. Anna ignored the friendly help and started her way to the cemetery, also as if in a trace. Yoh could tell that the time for laughter and fun was over; Anna was in her own world now. The only thing he could do now was ask himself whether or not he should say something. He decided not to.

The walk for Yoh was long and awkward, but the walk for Anna was short and hard. She knew she was getting closer and dreaded each step. It wasn't like she didn't want to she her mother's grave; it's just that she's neglected it for so long that it made Anna nervous. She felt as though her mom was mad…or more so, sad and lonely.

They were finally there, at her mother's grave. Anna stared at it blankly at first, then after a while, her face saddened and whispered, "I would've visited you every day if I could have." Then she said a bit louder, "Her stone's so dirty…"

Yoh bent down and started to wipe the gravestone with the sleeve of his jacket. Anna uttered a confused "Yoh?" But Yoh just turned to her and smiled, "Auntie Annabelle never liked dirty things. We should clean her up, don't you think?" Yoh looked around, "You think you can had me a water bottle?"

She did as he asked as he took off his jacket and poured some water onto it. Then, he used his jacket as a wash cloth, "But, Yoh, you're jacket…"

"It's okay, I can wash it," he smiled as he finished cleaning the stone, "Auntie's more important."

Anna gave a gentle smile, "Thanks Yoh…"

He only responded by smiling back. Then he got up and said a quick prayer to Anna's mother. When he was done, he could see that Anna still needed time. He saw that sad look on her face and was almost sure she would cry at any moment, but knowing Anna, she wouldn't.

Many things were probably running through Anna's head and he didn't want to disturb her so he started to look around and saw a bush full of flowers. He smiled as he got an idea and went over to the bush. He picked a few flowers and then laid them gently near the gravestone. This action snapped Anna out of her trance and stared at the flowers.

Anna gave a small smile and took off her shoes and held them in her hand. Yoh was a little confused, but then he looked at her face. She had her sad expression on again then she looked up at the sky with a cold smile, "It's so gloomy today…it looks like it might rain…but it won't…"

Yoh looked curiously at Anna. Her head slowly lowered and her blondish bangs covered her eyes, "…Anna…?"

Anna turned away from him and said (barely audible, but Yoh could hear it), "…follow me…" then she started to run, as fast as she could.

Yoh was a little shocked so he didn't start running right away, but once it registered in his mind he started to run after her, but he didn't want to catch right up to her or get ahead of her because he didn't know where she was headed. After a while, he steadied himself by her side and tried to look at her, "…Anna?"

Anna's head lowered a bit and ran a little faster. At first this confused Yoh, but then he saw something shinny and wet fly from Anna's face as she pulled ahead. Then Yoh understood that Anna was running to try to get her emotions out like he's done so many times before. So he decided to let her be and let her run off all the emotions swirling her in mind.

Now it was about sunset or maybe almost a little pass, but Anna didn't care, this whole time she had been running to their spot. She made it there just as the sun half way set. She heaved heavily as she stared at the sun. Her eyes were just a little red and her cheeks were slightly moist, but Yoh couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She was standing there with her arms out stretched like she conquered the world. Then she dropped her shoes from her hand and fell back into the tall grass.

"Anna?" Yoh got a little worried that maybe she collapsed from exhaustion. He walked over to where she was and stared at her, she was fine. She had a questioning look on her face. He smiled, "May I join you?"

She nodded as she closed her eyes. He laid the opposite way, it was like his head was right under her shoulder and her head was above his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and smiled. He listened to her as she caught her breath and it slowly when back to normal. He gave a slight chuckle at his thoughts.

"What's funny?"

"Well, it's not really funny, but you're all dirty."

Anna turned her head to look at him with a confused looked.

"I told you it wasn't funny."

"Then why did you chuckle?"

He laughed a little, "I don't know."

Anna raised an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes and turned her face forward again. She closed her eyes and smiled a bit, "Thank you, Yoh."

"For?" Yoh turned toward her.

"For taking me here," she turned slightly to him. She lifted her hand towards his and grabbed it. She closed her eyes, "You know…I've thought about killing myself so many times before."

Yoh frowned as he grabbed her hand.

"But…you know what kept me alive?" She turned slightly towards him, "The thought that I might be able to see you again."

Yoh looked at her; he didn't know what to say. There was slight confusion on his face, half concerned, half relieved, half worried.

"I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't see you again so I could just kill myself and get everything over with…" Anna closed her eyes, "But I couldn't forget you…no matter how hard I tried."

"Well, it's a good thing…'cause we did meet again," Yoh closed his eyes, "You're yourself again and here we are, remembering the good things of our past."

"You're right," she gave out a relieved sighed, "The only thing left to face is my house…"

"Don't worry," he gave her hand a tight, comforting squeeze, "You'll get through it. I'm here for you…don't go through your pain alone."

She smiled as her fingers weaved into his, "Let's just stay here a while longer…"

"Okay…"

After a while the sun was almost setting and Yoh decided to take the camera out. Anna's eyes were still closed and their hands were still connected. He lifted the other hand high above them and took the picture. He took another one in a different angle just in case.

Anna opened her eyes and turned to Yoh, "We'd better leave soon. I'm about to fall asleep."

"Alright," he got up slightly, but their hands were still connected.

Then Anna got up and ran her free hand through her hair.

"We need a picture in the tree and in the lake."

Anna nodded as they both got up and headed over to the tree. They got climbed on it as usual and Yoh took out the camera. He held it slightly above them to get the ground in the picture. They did their usual smiles and then Yoh decided to take a frontal picture.

After, they jumped down and Yoh pointed towards the lake, "Stick your feet in."

"Only if you do it too."

"But I'm wearing shoes, you're not…"

"Yoh. Arguing with me means nothing!"

Yoh sighed, "The things I do for…" He started to take his shoes off.

"_You're_ the one who wants this picture. Blame yourself."

When Yoh was done, they stuck their feet in the cool, calm water. The contact gave them shivers, but then they found it rather relaxing. Yoh pulled out the camera and did a frontal picture and then another one slightly above so he could get the water in the picture. After that, Anna gave Yoh a look as if to ask "Are we done?" Yoh nodded. Then, as Anna was about to get out, Yoh splashed her.

"Excuse me?!" Anna gave a harsh glare as she fiercely splashed him back, getting almost all of his pants and a little of his shirt wet.

"Anna! I only splashed you a little bit! I only got a little on your skirt and blouse!"

"I don't care! Splash me again and I'm pushing you in!"

Then Yoh grabbed her arm, "Then you're coming with me!"

"Yoh! Let go!! You'll regret it!"

"_You'll_ regret it! I'm already half-way wet!"

Anna struggled to get free, seeing as she couldn't; she got frustrated and kicked water at him.

"Gah!" Yoh definitely wasn't expecting that and unconsciously let go of her arm. Anna got up and out of the water before Yoh could splash her back. Yoh wiped the water from his face, "Not fair, Anna!"

"You grabbing my arm isn't fair!" She said, putting her shoes back on.

"You were going to push me in!" He said getting out of the water.

"Only if you splashed me again!" Anna took out the spare camera that was in her bag and decided to take pictures. Yoh opened his mouth to speak while he was putting on his shoes, but Anna interrupted, "Uh-uh-uh! What did I say about arguing?"

Yoh pouted and frustratingly looked away and mumbled, "I let you win…"

"What was that?" She asked pulling on his ear.

Yoh couldn't help but bust up laughing.

"Care to tell me what's so funny?"

"This is almost exactly how we used to be."

She gave a quick, small smile but then harshly let go of Yoh's ear and mumbled, "You're just trying to change the subject…" She turned towards the road, "Well…let's start heading _home_."

The walk started off comfortable, but then as they got closer to their destination, their pace got slower and awkward. It wasn't towards each other; the awkwardness was actually because they were nervous about entering a house that haunted them for so long. A person died there, and was abused there, and Yoh was beaten (almost to death) there. But soon they ran out of road and were suddenly faced with the eerie, unkempt house.

The sun was now all the way down, but they could still tell of the house's condition. The paint was peeling and the grass was unexceptionally tall, the porch could hardly be seen! The wind blew quickly and made the screen door creak. There it was, Anna's old home. The condition of it reminded her of her own life and she found herself in a trance. She couldn't move, she just stared as all the memories of her childhood rushed into her head. It was too much to take in and her mind was getting confused. Random clips of her life passed through her mind and it seemed she was spiraling down a twisted road, no matter how hard she tried to find a path, it faltered.

She seemed to be falling and couldn't get a grip on anything. She reached out, hoping one of the past figures could catch it, but there were no takers. They all laughed at her. Haijime, Kyosuke, and Kosuke were all there scoffing at her. Their faces began to twist and distort themselves. Anna was once again 10 and tears filled her eyes. She looked around and saw her mother. She reached out to her, but her mother shook her head sadly and denied her daughter's hand. Anna's eyes watered even more and she descended down further. She was getting past the point of no return. Before she gave up, she reached her hand up one more time, this time someone grabbed it.

"Anna?! Anna, are you alright?!" Yoh took a hold of Anna's hand.

"Wha…what?" Anna blinked a couple of times.

"What happened? You blanked out for a little while! Nothing I said was getting to you! You…you just stood there."

"I…" She wiped one of her eyes, "I'm fine…I just spaced out there for a little while."

"We can stay at my house again if you want to," his grip on her hand tightened.

"No," she shook her head, "I need to do this." Then she looked at their hands, "Just…don't let go." She weaved her fingers into his.

Yoh smiled, "Let's go."

Anna closed her eyes and she nodded and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes with new determination and held onto Yoh's hand tightly. She walked forward and opened the door. It was dark and gloomy…just how she remembered it. She turned on the lights and let go of Yoh's hand. He looked her questionably, but she gave him a reassuring look, "Could you…get my bags for me?"

"S-sure thing," Yoh nodded and new she wanted to look at her house alone. When he returned, he saw she was still inspecting, "I'm going to put these in the room, okay?"

Anna nodded as she looked through the kitchen. She looked at all the rooms except for the bedrooms. When Yoh came back, he saw her sitting against the wall, where she and he were beaten.

"A-Anna, are you all right?" He sat next to her.

"This blood," her finger ran across the floor, "Is…is it mine, or is it yours?"

Yoh sadly looked at it, "Who knows?"

Anna buried her head in her knees. She wasn't crying or anything, she just…needed to stop looking at this wrecked house. Maybe spending the night here was a bad idea.

Then Anna felt something warm wrap around her. She looked up, "Yoh!" He was pretty much wrapped around her like he was on that fateful date when they were separated, "Yoh…please…stop."

"I'm gunna protect you. Don't worry. I'll take care of you." Those were the exact words he had said to her that night.

Anna buried her head into his shoulder and gave out a sigh. She wrapped her arms around him, "Why…why do you have to be like this…"

Yoh gave out a chuckle, "Just my natural charm, I guess." He could feel Anna's smile through his shirt. They stayed in that embrace for a while until Yoh spoke again, "We should probably go to bed, we have a big day tomorrow."

Anna nodded and Yoh slowly got up and helped Anna up. They made their way to Anna's old room, but on the way she saw her mother and Haijime's old room. She stopped and stared.

"Wanna check it out?" Yoh innocently asked.

Anna shook her head, "No…maybe in the morning. It's too frightening at night."

Yoh nodded and continued to walk to her room. They opened the door and the scent of Strawberries and Champagne filled their noses, "I can't believe it still smells like this…after all these years…"

"There's probably still bottles in here," Anna looked around and opened the top drawer of her dresser. She opened it and smiled, there was a bottle of Strawberries and Champagne and various notes.

"What are those?"

"Notes from you."

"Oh!" Yoh went over there to look at the various notes he used to make during class. Yoh laughed as he read some of them.

"You're writing's atrocious, I'm surprised I could read these chicken scratches."

"Well, yeah, compared to your writing mine's horrible, Miss I-dot-my-I's-with-hearts."

"Whatever, I didn't have any I's in my name and they looked boring with just a tiny dot on top of them."

Yoh laughed. They read some more letters but then noticed the time, "I'll change in the bathroom, you change in here."

Anna nodded, "Knock before you enter, got it?"

"Isn't that how it always is?"

"Just making sure you know."

"Hai, hai." He left and got dressed quickly. When he was done, he knocked on the door and heard his signal to enter. When he came in, Anna was sitting Indian-style on her bed. She looked a little sad, "What's wrong?"

"My bed's so small."

Yoh's eyebrows furrowed, he didn't get it, but then the eyebrows lifted, "Oh, well, I can sleep on the floor."

Anna gave a little pout.

"It's not the first time," he looked around to see if there were extra blankets, "Remember that one time I slept over and Haijime made sleep on the floor?"

Anna nodded as she handed Yoh some extra blankets and a pillow. She thought about how childish she was. So what if Yoh couldn't sleep next to her? She didn't need him right next to her all night. Anna stretched as she yawned and slipped herself under the sheets, "Well, then, goodnight."

Yoh finished making his bed, turned off the lights and slipped in, "Goodnight." He stared at the ceiling. He was tired, but couldn't sleep. He was worried about what Anna was thinking. Was she all right? Was she uncomfortable? He wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to. He closed his eyes and listened to Anna's soft breathing…it didn't sound uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and saw Anna's hand, falling from the side of her bed. Her arm fell limply, so he implied that she was asleep. Her hand grazed his face ever-so-lightly. He smiled when he saw her hand, a memory quickly flashed back to him.

_It was long ago, Anna's mother was still alive and I had been invited to sleep over. Haijime wouldn't let me and Anna sleep in the same bed for some odd reason, so Auntie made me a bed on the floor and I slept next to Anna's bed. Auntie kissed my forehead and bid me goodnight and did the same for Anna. We were supposed to go to sleep then, but Anna and I stood awake talking_.

"Yoh," _she leaned over her bed and looked down upon me._

"Hm?" _I looked up at her._

"Um," _she started, I confusedly looked at her, she hardly ever struggled to talk,_ "Well…don't mind anything you hear, okay?"

"What do you mean?" _I was so stupid, I should've realized at that moment._

"Don't mind anything if you hear my mom and Haijime arguing, okay?"

_I cocked my head, but then I got it. I laughed a little,_ "Its okay. My parents fight too."

_Anna closed her eyes almost painfully as she shook her head as she lied down to prepare to sleep,_ "Goodnight, Yoh." _She whispered._

_I smiled,_ "Goodnight, Anna."

_Later on I heard a noise and opened my eyes. It was very dark, but there was light coming from the bottom crack of the door. I sat up just a tiny bit to see shadows under the door. Before it had never occurred to me what was spoken because I wasn't supposed to mind what the argument was about, but now thinking about it I think I heard Anna's mother whispering, yet yelling,_ "Anna's friend Yoh is over!"

_I couldn't hear what Haijime said, but he was mumbling something. I got a little scared so I lay back down and wondered if Anna awoke from the noise. I looked up to see if I could see her and her eyes were tightly closed as she tightly clutched the sheets on her bed._

"Stop it!" _I heard Auntie Annabelle yell and then I heard that noise that woke me up again. I closed my eyes at the sound of the noise…it sounded like something getting hit. After that noise, I heard Anna gasp. I looked up, but couldn't see her very well,_ "Anna?" _I asked softly._

"Yoh…I…" _Her arm lowered and her hand dangled in front of my face._

"Don't worry, sometimes my parents fight too…" _even though I knew she couldn't see me I smiled. Then I grabbed her hand and held it,_ "Its okay."

_At first Anna jumped at the contact, but then relaxed. She sighed and whispered,_ "Yoh…don't let go, okay?"

"Okay," _I smiled and through the whole night we stayed like that and we were both able to sleep peacefully._

Now, Anna's hand was there again. Yoh smiled and gently weaved his fingers through hers. He wasn't sure if Anna was already asleep, so he didn't say anything, but he heard her give out a peaceful sigh. He gave her hand a light kiss, "I won't let go, okay?"

"Yoh…" Anna managed to mumble out and her fingers moved weakly and gently, but he took that as her giving him a light squeeze.

He smiled and closed his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. Even though Anna couldn't hear it, he decided to say it anyway. But, as if she heard it in her sleep, she smiled. Both were finally at peace and were able to sleep without nightmares or worries. It seemed that the past was no longer haunting them and their stresses were gone.

_I was so happy that Anna and I were able to come back here and face our past. Even we were one of the most unfortunate childhood cases, we still had good times and that's what we needed to focus on. The fact was, was that we lived through it and it only made us stronger. Anna maybe having battles in her own mind about her past and maybe her future, but I believe that at this moment, the present, she was perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

Haha, okay. I'm an idiot. There's no way Anna could dot her I's with hearts because there are no I's to dot in Japanese writing XO Oh well, please don't be picky about that. I realized it…but I couldn't think of anything else to put there so I just left it. And **I hope you all liked it…it wasn't as cute as I wanted it to be, but I still think it was pretty cute.**

**And again, forgive any grammar and/or spelling errors….long chapter to proof-read and I was trying to get it up sooner. **

**PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE: **a week again, but if you review…I could see if I could get it in sooner… ; )

**I can't wait to get the next chapter out; I've been wanting to write it since I wrote the Prologue!! I think you guys will like it…hehe. Oh, and that reminds me that this story is sadly (maybe for some of you) is ending. There are only two chapters left and an epilogue. So get your reviews in now!! My goal was (well still is) to get 100 reviews. But you know, even if I don't reach that goal, I'll still be satisfied because you guys are so nice with your reviews!! I love your reviews…it lets me know that you actually read it and that you actually enjoyed it!! Thanks so much guys, I mean it!! From the bottom of my heart!! : ) (Insert heart here) **

**Hehe. Well I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. This is and will stay the longest chapter (43 pages) so I'll see you next time!! Ja ne!**


	9. End of the Nightmare

**Yay!! Early update!! So, I just realized that I'm leaving for vacation on the 10****th****, so that doesn't give me a lot of time, but I'm going to try to update the next chapter on the 9****th**** before I leave. I hope I can get it done! That way when I come back, I only have the Epilogue to worry about. **

**Oh, and again, I was in a hurry so please excuse any grammar and/or spelling errors. : )**

**Thanks so much for the reviews!! I love you guys so much!! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! And I really hope you enjoy this chapter, the ending is my favorite ; )**

**Please, Enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

"End of the Nightmare"

_When I awoke, my hand was still connected with Anna's. Then I felt her fingers twitch. She moaned and leaned over to look at me. I mumbled a "_Good Morning_" and she gave me a smile. She slowly unconnected our hands, seemingly reluctantly, I gave a sad smile but let her hand go. She sat up and I stretched._

"Do you know what time is it, Anna?"

Anna looked around to see if her clock was still there, when she found it, her eyes widened, "10:30."

"10:30?!" Yoh jumped out of the bed, "It's going to take us _all day_ to get home!"

"You don't have work tonight, right?"

"No, but I have work tomorrow morning!" Yoh rushed to grab his stuff.

"Just," Anna sat on her bed, "call Hao and ask to switch shifts with him, if not him, someone else."

"But I've been gone this whole weekend…"

"Yoh, you've helped everyone at the inn more then you should've. I'm sure they all owe you."

"Eh, I suppose you're right."

"Don't suppose."

Yoh got up and sat next to Anna, "Are you going to shower?"

"Yes, I'm all smelly from running yesterday," Anna put her feet on the floor but was still sitting down.

"You still smell like Strawberries and Champagne to me," he leaned closer to her.

"You just smell the room," Anna stood up and grabbed her bag with her clothes, "I won't be long."

Yoh nodded. After she left he inspected her room. It was just like he had remembered it. He looked through the drawer with his notes in it. He smiled as he saw his horrible handwriting, spelling, and grammar. Then he looked at Anna's nice writing, straight, but also curvy. She hardly spelt things wrong, she probably secretly laughed at his words.

Yoh got lost in the notes he used to write to Anna. He usually talked about nonsense or his confusion on the lecture that was going on in the class. One message Anna wrote back it said "Maybe if you paid attention instead of writing me notes, you'd get it." Yoh laughed. Anna…always so blunt.

"I'm done." Anna's voice made him jump.

"Wha?"

"Your turn," she said a little annoyed.

"Oh, right," Yoh grabbed his stuff and headed towards the shower. He left the notes on the bed, so Anna sat down and started to read them.

Anna unconsciously started to smile as she read through them. Yoh's handwriting and grammar was so cute. His spelling was as well. There were cross-outs or erase marks all over the paper from him trying to spell words. It made the notes all the cuter. She took them and stuffed them into her bag. Just then Yoh entered the room and looked at her as if asking what she was doing, "I'm taking the notes home with me, to remember them always."

"How come you left them here?"

"I had no choice," Anna finished putting the notes in her bag, "Haijime was so panicked about "killing" you that we only had time to grab what we needed. That's why a lot of stuff is exactly how it used to 8 years ago."

"I see," Yoh said looking around the room, "I'm glad we were able to come back here. Is there anything else you want before we leave?"

Anna got up and looked around. There was nothing of real importance that she needed or wanted anymore. She left the room and stared down the hallway. Yoh followed her eyes; she stared at her mother and Haijime's room.

"Would you like to check it out?"

Anna nodded without looking at him as she walked down the hall. The door was closed. She gulped, then got a determined look on her face. This whole trip was about conquering her past and she wasn't going to let it conquer her now. She opened the door quickly and saw the dark room. Her eyes widened as memories of the room flooded in. Both were good and bad. The quick invasion of memories push her back a bit and made her light headed. Then, she bumped into someone, she turned around and her eyes widened and her lips trembled. Who she saw, wasn't actually there; who she thought she saw was Haijime.

Yoh looked at her with confusion. She had bumped into him and turned to look at him. She had a look of horror on her face and something was not right in her eyes. They were glossy and widened; his own eyes widened, "Anna!"

"No…" her lips parted, "NO!"

"Anna!" She backed away, but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders, "Whoever you think I am! I'm not! It's me, Yoh!"

"Yoh…" Her eyes were still wide and glossy.

"Anna!" _I had never really noticed how traumatized she was by her past. I just always kind of thought that, since she was always so mentally strong, she would be able to get over it….but maybe, since she always hid it, she never got over. She always pushed it to the back of her mind and never truly faced it. I was so naïve. _

Anna shook her head violently. Her hair got in her face as she backed away.

"Anna?"

"I'm fine!" She said quickly, "Can you give me some time alone?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." It was so fast; Yoh barely had time to finish his question. Yoh sadly turned to leave, but then she sighed, "I mean…no. Stay here."

Yoh looked at her in confusion, "Anna?"

"I think…I think I remember what my mom died from," she sat on the bed and his eyes widened, "She was poisoned."

"Poisoned?"

"Well according to everyone else, she poisoned herself," she buried her head in her hands, "But I don't know if I could believe that."

"Your mother loved you very much," Yoh put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "She was always thinking of what was best."

Anna lifted her head and looked around. This room was filled with the confusion of bad and good memories. Before Haijime came, this was her mother's room and there was nothing but good memories in this room, but when he came everything turned into a nightmare.

Anna started to look through the drawers to see if her mother's stuff was still there. Many things of her mother's were gone and she wondered what happened to it. But even now she couldn't find much. "That bastard must've sold it!" she whispered.

Yoh cocked his head in confusion, "Hm?"

"Nothing," she continued to look. Yoh concluded that she was looking for something in particular. She was looking so passionately, so he decided not to get in her way, but he couldn't help but wonder what she was looking for. "Ah!" He heard her gasp.

"What is it?"

"It's still here…" she whispered as she turned to show him her mother's blue-beaded necklace, "My mother's necklace is still here." She quickly put it on herself, "I loved it so much. She promised that when I was older, I'd get to keep it. After she died I was always too afraid to enter her room and look for it."

"Oh, I see."

"How does it look?"

"Beautiful."

"I finally," Anna's fingers grazed the necklace, "have something to remember my mother by." Yoh gave a gentle smile as she smiled at him slightly, "We should get going."

"Is there anything else you'd like to do before we hit the road?" Yoh asked.

"No. I'm ready to leave this house."

Yoh nodded as she started to head out and get their things, "Oh, but first, let me at least take a picture of your room."

Anna sighed, "If you must."

"Oh, but I want you in it," Anna sighed once again as she sat on her bed, "…Smile…please?"

Anna looked down; seemingly to think about it, then saw her mother's necklace. She looked up and gave one of her famous small smiles.

He snapped the picture and smiled, "Ready when you are."

"Let's go."

They picked up their things and made their way out of the house. Yoh looked at it for one last time and whispered goodbye. Anna didn't turn to look at it at all, that is, until they were about to enter the car. She gave one last sad look at it. She used to believe that maybe her mother's sad soul was stuck and tormented in that house because of her last keepsake, but Anna had it now. She gently gripped the necklace, even if that silly notion was true, she had the necklace now and her mother was with her and would no longer be tormented in that house. In a way, her mother's soul had been set free…and so was Anna's.

They got into the car without saying much as the drove towards the exit to Hick Town. Before leaving, Yoh turned and whispered, "Goodbye, Hick Town." And Anna gave a nod of acknowledgement.

On their way out Yoh spotted a familiar old man, "Ah! Mr. Aoyama!" He quickly stopped the car.

"I thought you two said you were leaving in the morning!" Mr. Aoyama playfully acted upset.

"Ah! I'm so sorry," Yoh got out and handed him the keys, "I totally forgot! Please forgive me we were up late and woke up late…"

"Oh….I see," Mr. Aoyama raised an eyebrow and looked at Anna in the car.

"Ah! No, no, no!" Yoh shook his hands rapidly.

The old man laughed, "Just enjoying yourselves, right?"

"Ah…old man…"

"Just kidding," Mr. Aoyama laughed, "Enjoy your stay?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact we did."

"That's good," the keys jingled in the old man's wrinkly hands, "You should come see it when it's rebuilt into 'Izumo'."

"Uhm. No thanks," Yoh said heading back into the car, "I'd like to remember it just the way it is." He flashed his famous smile.

"Oh, really? This beat up old town?"

"Uh-huh," he gave a wide smile, "It's my childhood. I wouldn't want to remember it any other way."

Mr. Aoyama gave a warm sigh, "I suppose you're right. Have a safe trip."

"Thank you!" Yoh started up the car, "Bye!"

Mr. Aoyama nodded in acknowledgement as Yoh and Anna went on their way. It was already afternoon and they knew they wouldn't get home until late. Knowing this, they shouldn't have taken any stops, but they did occasionally to eat. The drive was a comfortable silence and Anna couldn't help but feel a sense of peace with her childhood and she fiddled around with her necklace.

Yoh sighed, "I am not looking forward to work tomorrow."

"Tell me about it," Anna leaned her head against the window; the sun had already gone down.

"At this rate, we won't get home until past midnight," Yoh sighed, "I'll hardly get any sleep."

Anna closed her eyes, "You called at our last stop to switch someone's swift, right?"

"Yeah, but I still have to get up early because I have to see how the inn's been doing without me."

"You've only been gone 3 days."

"I gotta do what I gotta do."

Anna sighed as though she was about ready to fall asleep, "You make things hard."

"I believe that's what a manager should do…actually I shouldn't even have been gone for 3 days."

"Geez…you're a worrywart…imagine what a week would've done."

"I'm just trying to be careful," Yoh said while shifting his eyes over to her, "I'm only 18. I'm really young to be an owner of an inn. I have to be careful. Something could've gone wrong while I was gone."

Anna sighed, about to fall asleep, "Whatever."

Yoh sighed; a little jealous that at least she got to sleep.

They arrived at the inn at 2:30 in the morning. Anna had been asleep most of the time, but Yoh, obviously, was awake and exhausted. He tapped Anna on the shoulder lightly to wake her up. She moaned and moved slightly, but did not wake up.

"Anna…its late, please wake up…"

She did not.

Yoh sighed, "If this is the only way…" He picked her up bridal style and decided to take her to the room and then come back for his bags, "I hope no one sees me."

Yoh walked into the inn hoping that someone mature was working the front desk. To his un-fortune, there was not, "Heeeeeeeeeeeey! Did you guys get hitched?"

"Ah! Horo-Horo! What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Well you're carrying her bridal style into your room, are you not?"

"That doesn't mean we got hitched…"

"You were gone for three days…that's a nice honeymoon for those who get hitched…"

"I can't believe we are talking about this. It's 2:30 and I'm exhausted."

"So you _did_ get hitched!"

"We did not!" Yoh defensively fired back, "She fell asleep on the way home and she doesn't want to get up. I'm just being a gentleman and carrying her to her room."

"Oh, really," Horo-Horo rested his head on his hand and said with no enthusiasm at all, "The ladies must be all over a chivalrous man like you."

Yoh glared and then sighed, "I see nothing has changed around here."

"Nope," Horo-Horo smiled, "I dunno if it'll ever change."

"Alright, well I'll be back," Yoh said while walking off with Anna in his arms, "I have to get our bags."

Horo-Horo made a little noise to acknowledge what Yoh said. Yoh walked slowly to their room; each step seemed slower and slower. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. He lifted an eyebrow; he felt as if someone was watching him. He looked around but saw nothing so he shrugged it off as he kept walking. He was probably just being paranoid because of his lack of sleep.

When Yoh reached the door to their home, he scrambled to get the keys out of his pocket. He leaned back a bit and moved Anna higher and closer. Her head was right under his neck and her soft breathing tickled him. He gulped as he took his hand off her back, hoping that she wouldn't fall. He quickly got the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Once he unlocked it, he left the keys there as he felt Anna slipping. Quickly, he put his hand back onto her back and opened the door with his foot. He did the same with Anna's door. Once inside, he gently put Anna onto the bed, but then he lifted her slightly to get the sheets from under her. He took off her shoes and tucked her in. She smiled in her sleep. He sighed, "I wish I was you right now."

He exited the room and as he closed the main door, he felt the keys. He kept his hand on them, debating whether or not to lock the door. Something in him told him to, so he did and then left to get their bags from the car.

Upon returning he realized that maybe locking the door wasn't the best idea, seeing as he has to unlock it all over again. He dropped the bags onto the floor and unlocked the door and then had to bend down to pick up the bags. Then he pondered if it was a bad idea to lock the door, something in him told to not regret it. He had a strange feeling that someone was watching him, but he reasoned again that he was just tried and that was making him paranoid.

He set the bags down in the living room and quickly turned the couch into a bed. He glanced at the clock; 3:15 A.M. "Damn," he mumbled as he took his pants off to sleep in his boxers. He slipped into his bed and wondered if he's ever been as tired as this before in his life. He had no trouble at all falling asleep.

But he certainly had trouble waking up.

There was an annoying knock at the door. He pretended that it would go away, or that Anna would answer it, but in the end, he knew that even if Anna answered it, it would probably still be for him. He got up and looked at the clock. 6:30. Three hours…only three hours of sleep. He moaned and wasn't going to get up, that is, until there was another knock.

He groggily got up and, luckily, remembered to put on some pants before ascending upstairs. He rubbed his eyes and answered the door.

"Good morning, Yoh!" The female voice said cheerily and then gasped.

"Good Morning, Julie," Yoh smiled as best he could. She gave a confused face, he did too, "What's the matter?"

"Well, it's just that you aren't ready for work…I came here so I could catch you before you went…but it looks like you're not even ready."

"Oh, I switched schedules—just for today—with Ren because we got home late last night."

Then the face of realization hit Julie, "Oh no! I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Aha, yea," he laughed a little, seemingly so he could act as if it was nothing. She looked a little sad, but he tried to make it seem like he didn't care, "So what was it you need?"

"Oh, well," Julie guiltily looked away, "Nothing really. I was just on my way to school and I knew, well _thought_, you were going to work and so I wanted to see you and say 'Welcome Home!'"

Yoh gave out a non-stressed sigh to let her know its okay, "Well, thank you Julie. I do appreciate it."

"What time did you get home?"

He hesitated, he almost wanted to lie, "Um, about 2:30?"

"2:30?!" Julie yelled, "That's like 3 hours of sleep! I am SO SORRY, Yoh!"

"Don't worry about it," though he was rather upset at first, he couldn't seem to get upset at Julie.

She stood awkwardly in the hallway, "Well I'm still very sorry." She paused for a little bit, "So Anna is still asleep then?" Her eyes shifted to the door.

Yoh nodded, "Yeah, she's pretty tired."

"I see," she said slowly.

Yoh's eyebrows furrowed a bit, "Something wrong?"

"No," again, said slowly.

"Did you and Anna have an argument?"

Julie was a little worried, "W-what makes you say that?"

"The other day, before we left," Yoh looked towards Anna's door, "I saw you leave the diner looking a little upset, and then I saw Anna looking upset coming from the diner as well. She said you two talked, but she didn't tell me what about." He looked back at Julie, "I can't help but be curious."

"Don't worry about it, Yoh," Julie tried to laugh it off, "If I don't leave soon, I'll be late."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Yoh looked concerned, "I hope I don't make you late, I was just concerned."

"No, no, I still have time."

"I just don't like when you are upset," he said and Julie's face lit up, "Same goes for Anna." Then Julie's face lowered a bit. Yoh looked confused.

"I have to go," Julie said softly, "See you later. I'm sorry I woke you up." She turned to leave, but then slowly turned back as if she forgot something, "May I talk to you later?"

"Excuse me?"

"When I'm done with my class, can we meet at the diner?"

"Sure, I don't work until about 4, when does your class end?"

"Around 12:30."

"Okay, then how about at, um, 2:30?"

Julie smiled, "Sure!"

Yoh smiled, "You'd better hurry…I would hate if you were late because of me."

Julie gave a small smile, "No worries, see you later."

Yoh nodded as Julie left to the stairs that would lead her to the upper levels. He closed the door and then leaned against it, from there he slowly slid down it. He propped up his knees and placed his elbows on them, then dug his head in his hands; he was so tired.

Anna's door slowly slid open and she looked around, "Yoh?"

He said something, but it was muffled against his hands.

"What?"

"Good Morning, Anna," he lifted his head and gave a tired smile.

"Good Morning, I thought I heard the door?"

"You're about 15 minutes too late."

"Well it was for you anyway, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was Julie."

Anna frowned, in truth she had been near her door listening to their conversation, but she pretended she didn't, "What did she want?"

"At 2:30 she wants to talk to me," he patted the floor next to him, "I wonder what for?"

Anna came over to him and sat next to him. She was still in her pajamas and her hair was still wild. She sighed as she sat like he was, "I dunno." In truth, she might've known and she was secretly panicked. What if Julie told Yoh that she likes him? And what if Yoh likes her back? Anna instantly felt sick to her stomach.

"Something wrong?" Yoh asked looking at her disgusted face.

"No," she leaned her head on his shoulder, "I'm just still really tired."

Yoh felt something in his pocket. As he reached in to see what it was he laughed.

"What is it?"

"Say Cheese…" he brought out the camera and quickly snapped the picture.

"Yoh!" Anna pushed away from him, "How dare you," she hit his shoulder and he laughed an "ow", "Aren't even looking at me? I'm surely not presentable enough for a picture!"

"Am I looking at you," He smiled as he pushed a few strands of her hair away from her face, "You're always beautiful enough for a picture."

Her face instantly flushed, but she didn't want him to see so she stood up, "You're lucky we have other good pictures on there…otherwise I would burn it."

Yoh laughed as she walked into her room.

"Oh," she said before going into her room, the redness gone from her face, "I work about 1:30, if I fall back as sleep you think you can put the alarm in my room?"

"I'll wake you."

"Aren't you going back to sleep?"

"I'm dead tired, but I dunno if I could fall back asleep. And by the time I do it'll probably be like right before I have to go with Julie."

Anna frowned, "Just don't meet her."

"I can't be rude."

Anna sighed, "You can't. It's hard to imagine it."

Yoh laughed, "See?"

"Still, try to sleep," she walked into her room, "Those dark rings under your eyes don't suit you." Then she closed the door.

Yoh sighed, too tired to get up. Eventually he did and plopped on his bed. He closed his eyes and wished for sleep, but it didn't come to him. He knew that soon he'd be wide awake and then later, when he had to work, it would all come crashing down.

After about an hour of just laying there, he decided to get up and eat some protein, hoping to give him energy for later on. Then he went to take a bath.

He was tired and took his time, so when he came back, he decided to wake Anna up because she would probably like to take a long bath as well.

"Anna?"

She moaned, "Already?"

"Sorry," he sat on her bed.

She slightly got up, "Did you sleep?"

"No," he saw her glare coming, "But I did try, I laid there for an hour or more trying."

She sat up, "I hope you fall asleep when you talk to Julie."

"Anna! That isn't very nice."

"I'm not 'nice'. You should've expected that comment."

Yoh laughed as he got up, "Yeah, you're right."

"As always."

He smiled as he started to leave the room, "Well, you'd better start getting ready."

Anna nodded, "Thanks for waking me."

"No problem," he said while walking out of the room.

Anna got ready rather quickly. She didn't want to be late to her first day back in like four days. When she was fully ready, she went down stairs to wish Yoh a goodbye and good luck with his little chat with Julie, "Also, don't fall asleep."

Yoh laughed, "I won't."

"Though, I bet you'll be tempted…"

"Anna!"

Anna smirked, "Well I got to go." She started up the stairs and called back to him, "Just call it off!"

Yoh opened his mouth to protest, but he heard the main door close. He just laughed, "That Anna…"

Anna headed towards the front desk to see Pirika there. Anna greeted her, but she gave Anna a confused look, "That are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? My shift starts in 5 minutes."

"No one told you?"

"Told me what?" Her voice grew deep and her eyebrows started to narrow.

"T-that," Pirika stammered at Anna's serious face, "That you didn't have to work today."

"What?"

"Yeah, Horo-Horo told me how late you two got in last night and I told him to tell you that I was going to take over for you."

Anna's eyes narrowed.

"I'm guessing he didn't tell you."

"No. Where is he?" Anna looked around, "Next time I see him I swear I'll…"

"Well you look like you're in good spirits," Pirika laughed.

"Thank you, Pirika for taking my shift, but I can handle it."

"Oh, no, I got it," Pirika nodded.

Anna crossed her arms, "And what do you want me to do?"

"Well since you're so eager to work, why don't we split it?"

"Alright," Anna un-crossed her arms.

"Okay, I'll work now until 4:00," Pirika thought for a while, "Then you work from then until 6:30, sound fair?"

Anna shrugged, "I guess. Thanks."

Pirika smiled, "No problem."

"What do you supposed I do now?" Anna put her hands on her hips.

"Um, I dunno," Pirika looked closely at Anna, "Hey! That's a pretty necklace! You didn't have that before, did you? Did Yoh get it for you?"

"No, it was my mother's," she looked down at her necklace, "I retrieved it when I went back to my old home."

Pirika tilted her head, "What happened to your mother?"

Anna looked away, "I'll…I'll have to tell you about it sometime. Later though."

Pirika knew it was serious, "Oh, okay."

"Well, I'll see you at 4: 00, then," Anna said as she walked off. She wondered what to do, when a small thought struck her. She headed toward the B-level. Once there, she descended down the stairs, "Yoh?"

"Anna?" Yoh got up from the couch to see Anna at the edge of the staircase, "What's wrong? Didn't you have work?"

"Well I did, but it seems Horo-Horo forgot to give me the message that Pirika is taking over it," Anna put her hands on her hips, "But I'm going to go at 4."

"Oh," Yoh seemed a little confused, but decided to not ask questions.

"I was wondering if I could finish up the film that's on our camera. We've got like what, 6 pictures left? I wanted to get them developed."

"Oh, sure," Yoh smiled, "We still have the other camera anyway."

"Exactly," Anna looked around, "What did you do with the camera?"

"Oh, it should be in the kitchen," he said while walking over to it, "What are you going to take pictures of?"

"I don't know," Anna shrugged, "Probably Pirika or Tamao or whoever. It's going to go into our photo album, so it's going to be our friends and stuff."

"Okay," Yoh gave her the camera, "You and me are working about the same time now, so I guess I'll see you then."

Anna nodded as she started to head out, "See you later."

She walked back over to the front desk and checked the time. Soon Yoh and Julie will have their meeting. She tried to concentrate on other things, but Anna kept thinking about it. So she decided that maybe she'd help out in the kitchen. If she kept busy, maybe she'd feel better.

As she was headed toward the diner's kitchen, she got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach; as if someone was watching her. She turned, but didn't see anyone suspicious. After a few seconds of looking for something out of the ordinary and finding nothing, she dismissed the feeling as her being nervous for Yoh and Julie's meeting.

Anna entered the kitchen to see Tamao cooking. She caught site of Anna and looked concerned, "Is there anything wrong, Anna?"

"Oh, no, it's just," Anan looked around, "I just need something to do and I was wondering if you need any help."

Tamao thought for a second while stirring whatever was in her pan.

"I'll wash dishes if you want."

"Oh," Tamao smiled, "We can always use more dish washers."

"Thanks, Tamao."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Yeah, I'm a little distracted," Anna said and then paused, "Please don't ask me to talk about it."

Tamao smiled, "Okay. I won't."

Anna smiled, "Thanks." Then Anna took out her camera and snapped a picture of Tamao.

"W-what was that for," Tamao blushed.

"Photo album," Anna smirked, "Congratulations, you're in it."

"Oh no…" Tamao sadly looked at the food she was cooking, "I hate pictures…"

"So do I," Anna mumbled as she walked over to a sink.

"Oh, but make sure you get a spare apron first from the utility closet."

"Got it," Anna said as she walked over to the closet and grabbed herself an apron. She walked over the sink and started to wash dishes. Usually they put the dishes in the dish washer, but sometimes they washed some by hand, just in case they run out of dishes while the dish washer was going.

There was another dish washer (as in person) and one person to dry. There was another who was sent to fill and empty the dish washer. They turned to Anna and thanked her for her help. She rolled up her sleeves and started.

Anna was busy scrubbing a dish, but without even meaning to, she unconsciously looked up at the clock: 2:30. Yoh and Julie should be having their meeting. She scrubbed harder.

Yoh made his way to the diner and saw Julie sitting at a table. She waved at him and he smiled, heading over to her table. He sat across from her, "Am I late?"

"No, you're right on time, actually," she smiled.

"Oh, Good, I would've hated to have kept you waiting," he smiled.

Her heart fluttered and gave a slight blush, "Oh, no, it's okay. I just got here, honest."

"Hungry?"

Julie shook her head, "You?"

"Nope." He gave a slight smile, "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, well you see," Julie shyly looked away, "You know how I take classes? Well my school offered a dorm for me there…"

"Oh! That's great!" He said enthusiastically, but he saw her face drop, "What's wrong?"

"Well, it's just I'm not sure if I should take the offer. I like living here," she looked at him with hopeful eyes, "What do_ you_ think? Can you give me any reason for me to stay?" He thought for a moment, she looked very hopeful, "_Any_ reason?"

"Well…getting a dorm there would be quite convenient," he said his thoughts out loud, obviously not getting what she meant, "And if you want to you should. I think it's a great idea!"

Julie's face fell; utterly disappointed in his answer, did he want her to leave? "I-I'll think about it…I'm not sure I want to…"

"Well, whatever you decide to do," Yoh smiled, "You're always welcome here. You're guaranteed a room, no matter what."

Julie felt her face flush a bit as she smiled, "Thank you, Yoh."

"No problem," he nodded, "And though you'll always have a spot at the En, your schooling's more important."

Julie gave a soft smile, "Right." She was glad to hear that she'd always have the Inn to stay at, but she hoped even more so that Yoh would tell her not to move. But he was just concerned for what was best for her, she thought, so she was still happy with his answer.

Yoh saw that Julie had nothing else to say, so he decided to speak, "Well, whatever you choose, I'll help you out okay? And if you move out, keep in touch, okay?"

"You've got it," Julie smiled, "I've still time to think about it, so I'll let you know when I decided."

Yoh nodded, "Great."

Julie got up, "Thanks for talking with me; your opinion matters to me the most."

"Oh?" Yoh got up and gave a confused look, "Then I'm glad I could help."

She nodded, "I know you have to go to work, so I'll leave you with whatever free time you have left. Especially since I woke you early this morning, I wouldn't want to waste anymore of your time."

Yoh nodded and gave a reassuring laugh, "Don't worry, no time was wasted. I'm glad I could help!" He waved.

She gave a slight wave back as he smiled before leaving.

Time passed quickly as Anna scrubbed the dishes. Her mind could not help but wonder how Julie and Yoh's conversation went. She scrubbed harder and harder every time she wondered.

"Anna?" The sudden noise in the quiet made her jump.

"Y-yes, Tamao?"

"It's almost 4:00…I think you've done enough…"

"Oh no," Anna quickly placed her dish on the counter and wiped off her hands, "I'll be late!" She quickly took off her apron and handed it to Tamao, "Thank you."

"Th-those are my words!" Tamao laughed as Anna quickly strode out the door.

Anna made it just in time for her shift. She entered the front desk and tapped Pirika on the shoulder.

"Finally," the blue-haired girl said playfully.

"I told you that you didn't have to do this," Anna took her place as Pirika started to leave.

"Heehee, you know I was kidding," she was now outside of the front desk area, "It was better than working the whole shift!"

"True," Anna smiled, "See you later, Pirika, thanks." Then she took out her camera and snapped a picture.

"Wh-what?" Pirika looked dumbstruck, "Why'd you do that?!"

"Photo album."

"Well you could've told me so I can strike a pose!"

"Well, then do it," Anna held the camera to her eye.

"Only if you're in the picture with me!"

"No way! Besides there's no one to take—"

"I'll take it," Yoh said from behind them. They both turned to him, Pirika nodded and Anna shook her head slowly. Yoh smiled. He took the camera, "Now scoot in."

Pirika smiled and did the peace sign. Anna looked rather dull, but Yoh made a look like "Smile, please", so Anna gave a slight smile. He snapped the picture and smiled.

"There! Put that one in the album!" Pirika smiled, "I'll see you later!"

"Bye," Anna said as she settled into her spot at the desk while she glared at Yoh.

"What?" Yoh walked next to her.

"I don't want to be in anymore pictures!"

"Sorry, but Pirika wanted to take it with you."

Anna gave a little pout and took the camera from Yoh's hands, "I'm in control now."

Yoh laughed, "Okay."

"I forgot that you worked at 4:00," she leaned her head on her hand.

"Yup," He said as he sat next to her at the desk, "But I'm going to be everywhere. I need to keep track of the stocks and look at everyone's schedule and…" he trailed off while looking at his paperwork.

"I get it," she looked toward the main door as she saw two customers walking in. She fixed her posture, "It'll be like I'm working by myself."

He smiled and nodded at the customers as they made their way to the front desk. Before they reached there he decided to say, "Well not exactly, but I'll be in and out."

She was going to say something back, but the customers reached the front desk. They were girls and wanted to talk with Yoh. He put on a smile and started talking about Onsen. This made her remember the talk Yoh had with Julie. She started to wonder what it was about. Yoh would tell her if it had to do with Julie's feelings for him, wouldn't he?

She continued to stare at Yoh as he got the keys to a room for the girls. He didn't have feelings for Julie, she tried to convince herself. He wouldn't. He would've told her. He should've told her. They were best friends, if he liked a girl, she had the right to know about it. She started to get angry at her own thoughts.

"Anna?" Yoh asked, she didn't realize he was done with his customers, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled as she turned away from Yoh.

"Hm." He looked at her curiously. He opened his mouth to say something but then the phone rang. Anna picked up the phone before Yoh got to it.

"The En Onsen and Inn, Kyoyama Anna speaking, how may I help you?" She sounded very business like, "A reservation? For what day, sir?"

Yoh sighed, she was saved from his questioning. He looked at the papers on his desk and decided that he'd better start up on his work now. He had until 9 and he was exhausted, there was no way he was going to stay overtime to get his work done.

As he had said, Yoh was in and out most of the time attending to who-knows-what. Anna grew bored rather fast, but at least she only had to work two and a half hours as opposed to 5. This should be nothing.

"Oi, Anna!" She didn't even have to look to see who it was.

"Hello, Hao."

"Welcome home!" Hao leaned on the front desk, "Have a fun, _romantic_ trip?"

"It was fun."

"Is that a smile I see?"

"Get your eyes checked."

"So, wait, did you really have fun, or are you trying to be cute by being sarcastic?"

"I'm being serious. The nightmare has ended."

Hao smiled, "That's good! And that necklace…a souvenir?"

"It was my mother's," she grazed her fingers over it.

Hao looked closely at it, "Oh……Oh! I remember! She used to wear it all the time!"

Anna nodded, "She promised it to me, and I finally have it."

Hao smirked as Yoh entered the room, "Did you two behave yourselves?"

"Did _you_ behave _your_self?"

"We're not talking about me," held up his hands in defense, "And if you don't answer, I'll not that as a 'no'."

Yoh gave his brother a dull look and was about to answer, but Anna answered too quickly, "Then take it as you will."

Hao's jaw dropped, "What?" he looked at his brother quizzically, "What does she mean by this?"

Yoh laughed and Anna smirked a she sat back, "You're too gullible Hao."

Hao crossed his arms and mumbled, "Only with you two."

Anna took out the camera and snapped at picture, "Hao at his finest."

Hao's eyebrows furrowed, "What was that for?"

"Photo album. Might as well spread it around, I'm tired of explaining it."

"Oh, well then you need some pictures of you two," Hao reached out for the camera.

"Already do," she didn't want to give him the camera.

"How many pictures you got left?"

"Hm," Anna looked at the top of the camera, "Two."

"Then take one with me. We hardly have any pictures of us together!"

"No."

"Yeah!"

Both Anna and Yoh said in unison; Anna being the negative, Yoh, of course, being the positive.

"I'll take it," Yoh smiled.

Anna glared at him, "That's not fair, I already took one with Pirika."

"So? This is with me!" Hao said arrogantly. Anna rolled her eyes, but Hao smiled, "C'mon please? I know you don't like me as much as you do as my brother, but we're still friends, right?'

"That's what you think…" Anna mumbled.

"Hey—"

"C'mon, Anna," Yoh interrupted Hao's protest, "Besides, it's 6:30. You're off now."

"I guess," Anna said giving Yoh the camera, "But I want one of all three of us afterwards, like the one in Auntie's photo album."

Yoh smiled, "Sure."

Hao stood with his arm around Anna and held a confident grin. Anna crossed her arms and gave a smirk as if she was saying "You've gotta be kidding."

Yoh laughed as he took the picture, "Yup. That's you two all right!"

"Okay, now the three of us," Anna looked around to see if she recognized anyone to ask them to take the picture.

"Oh! Manta!" Yoh saw Manta coming in for work, "Can you take a picture for us?"

"Oh, sure!" he said while Yoh handed him the camera. He went to stand by Anna.

"Wait, you stand in the middle, Yoh," Anna said moving to the end.

"No, I think you should stay in the middle, Anna," Hao said grabbing her wrist to pull her to the middle, "You're the shortest."

"Well it's not my fault you two are giants!"

Both Yoh and Hao laughed, but set Anna in the middle anyway. Hao put his left hand on her left should and Yoh did the same with his right. Then they both leaned in to be closer to her head. Then Hao laughed, "Make sure you get our heads, Manta."

Manta pouted. It wasn't his fault he was 5'2". Yoh hit Hao with the hand that was on Anna's shoulder, "Hao!"

Hao laughed an "ow" as rubbed where Yoh hit him, "What?"

"'It's not my fault you two are giants'!" Manta quoted Anna.

Hao and Yoh laughed while Anna got impatient, "Just take the picture!"

Instantly Yoh and Hao stopped laughing and leaned closer to Anna again. Yoh leaned next to her ear and said, "Smile, Anna…"

"…we're your family." Hao finished.

Those words somehow made her instantly smile a true smile. Manta held the camera steady and snapped the picture. After the flash, they moved out of their positions and rubbed their eyes.

"Thanks, Manta," Anna said as he handed her the camera, "Now I'm going to get this developed."

"Right now?" Yoh asked getting behind the front desk.

Anna nodded, "Is that a problem?"

"N-no," he smiled, but he had been feeling a little paranoid ever since they came home last night and felt as though someone was watching them, "Just be careful."

Anna raised a brow. It wasn't an unusual thing to say, but the way he said it made her cautious, "O…kay." She gave a little smile and left.

"Eh, I'm a little disappointed," Hao leaned his elbow on the front desk across from his brother.

"About what?"

"About the necklace."

"What? That was her mother's!"

"I know, I didn't mean it like that," Hao looked at Yoh, "I thought it was a gift from you. Like you, I dunno, _proposed_ or something."

"A ring's used for that, Hao."

"I know, but I thought you came up with something original…"

Yoh rolled his eyes, "Anyway, why are you here?"

"Oh, I forgot," he smirked, "I think I left something in the storage room, can I look?"

"Sure," Yoh said, letting his brother into the front desk area.

Hao sighed, "This might take a while."

Anna walked down to the One Hour Photo that was nearby the Inn. She decided that she'd just wait for an hour and walk around town for a bit and look at the shops. She dwelled on Yoh's words. He sounded…paranoid. It made her nervous, earlier today she felt as though someone was watching her; did Yoh have that same feeling? Was Someone after her? Her heart pounded, but her face remained composed. She could only think of one person out there who wanted her. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself as the wind blew.

Paranoid. She tried to convince herself. She was just being paranoid. She and Yoh had just come back from conquering her past. Maybe the past was just still haunting her? There was nothing for her to be afraid of anymore. She repeated that over and over in her mind. Yoh was with her. The nightmare has ended.

She spent pretty much the whole hour just trying to convince herself that. She retrieved the photos and sat on a bench to look at them. She smiled as she saw them. She looked at the ones at the school. She frowned at few pictures of her yelling at Yoh. Was that really what she looked like?

When she was through looking at the pictures, she was comforted. It was like a reassurance that she had indeed conquered her past. She put them away and decided that she'd start hading home. It was almost 8. She quickly made her way to the Inn.

Once she made it to the Inn, she stopped at the front desk.

Yoh was relieved to see Anna there, "Get the pictures?"

She raised the envelope filled with the pictures, "Want to see them?"

"Later, I've got an hour left."

"Okay," Anna nodded, "See you, then."

Yoh smiled, "See you."

It had been a while since Anna left, she was probably home already, but Yoh couldn't shake the feeling that he had. He decided to check what rooms where being used and who was using them. His eyes scanned through the list. Then his eyes stopped on one particular name, "Oh no…" He quickly turned, "Hao!"

"Mou, what?" he sounded annoyed; apparently he had no such luck trying to find what he had been looking for.

"Take over!"

"What? What could possibly make out think I'll let you skip? You're getting bad you've already missed three—"

"I wasn't asking!" His voice sounded demanding and frantic at the same time.

"What the hell has…" but Yoh left before Hao could finish his sentence. He turned to Manta, "Do you know what's gotten into him?"

Manta shrugged, "Last I saw, he was looking at the lists of rooms."

Hao sighed as he picked up the paper. His eyes ran through it but then, like Yoh, stopped on a certain name, "Oh…My…God."

Anna entered her house. She suddenly had an eerie feeling she couldn't describe. She hadn't put her hair up today, so she didn't need to take it down like she usually did. She descended down the stairs, deciding that maybe she'd watch some T.V. But even still, she couldn't shake the eerie feeling. She set the pictures down on the couch when she heard the door open. But Yoh still had an hour left of work. She walked towards the stairs; she froze when she saw who it was.

"There you are, Anna-chan," The figure started to descend down the stairs, "I've missed you."

Anna backed away slowly, "Kyo……suke."

He reached the bottom of the stairs, "Dear _sister_, haven't you missed me?"

"H-how did you find me?" The nightmare had not ended. It suddenly felt like weights were around her ankles and she could not back away any faster.

"Anna-chan," he grabbed her, "its destiny. I will _always_ find you; _wherever_ you go."

Anna tried to break away, but Kyosuke pushed her against the wall and grabbed her tiny wrists.

"Now, now, Anna," Kyosuke was inches away from her face, "Is that any way to greet your older brother?"

"You're not my brother," she tired to push him off, "You're a sick, perverted BASTARD! _Brothers_ don't do this to their sisters!"

His grip around her wrists got harder as he pushed against her, "Anna. Try all you want: you're not going to get free."

She still tried, but he was just too strong. She was scared, but still kept her face fairly composed. She couldn't let him know she was scared. He smirked at her struggling face.

"Anna…" he whispered in her ear; sending shivers down her spine, "…you don't know how much I've missed you…" He pressed against her body and moved his legs, slightly lifting up her skirt.

"St-stop!" her legs got weak, but his body pressure was holding her up.

"But we've just started, _Anna-chan_," he said as he ripped her shirt open…of all the days she decided not to wear an undershirt……

"No…please…" she couldn't help but plead. She knew what he was going to do to her.

He laughed at her, "This isn't the first time, Anna. You know I won't stop."

She still tried pushing him off but her strength was draining fast, and without meaning to, she cried out: "Yoh…!"

"Yoh?" Kyosuke smirked, "You're still hung up on him? Haha, are you afraid he'll see?"

Anna didn't answer. Her head hung down and her bangs covered her eyes. She wanted Yoh to come, she wanted Yoh to save her…but that was impossible. She knew living here would be impossible. She should've just jumped off the roof and ended her life. How could she ever escape Kyosuke? What a silly thought.

"After he sees you like this he won't want you anymore," He put his head on the crook of her neck, "But I will _always_ want you. Come home with me…and we could get married…and you'll be mine forever."

"No!" Anna tried once again to push him off, but he just laughed and pressed against her harder.

Then they heard the door open. Anna's eyes widened while Kyosuke smirked, "Let's surprise him, shall we?"

"Anna?" Yoh frantically called at the top of the staircase.

Anna opened her mouth to call out his name, but then Kyosuke put his own mouth on top of hers. She tried to back away but her head was already against the wall.

Yoh heard a muffled noise at the bottom of the stairs. He panicked as he rushed down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom to see Kyosuke's filthy mouth on hers.

"Anna!"

Kyosuke couldn't help but smirk when he heard Yoh's voice. He turned away from Anna to Yoh, "And you're not going to greet me?"

"Let go of Anna!" He saw how tightly he was gripping her. He knew that if he made a sudden move, Kyosuke could hurt her.

"Now, why would I do that?" Kyosuke put his head on her cleavage, "I came all the way here to get her back."

"She doesn't want to go back with you," Yoh angry spat out. He had never been so mad in his life.

"You don't know what she wants," he kissed her cleavage, "Or what she needs."

Yoh clenched his fist so tight that his knuckles we turning white and he was afraid his palms might be bleeding.

"Besides," he nuzzled against her neck, "Why would you ever want her? She won't stay faithful. You've only been with her 2 months; you don't know how she is. She's a little slut. She's slept with more guys then customers you get in a day!"

"No! That's not—"

"Don't you dare deny it!" Kyosuke yelled at Anna.

She looked away shameful, "But I didn't want…"

"But you still did! You don't deserve anything better, Anna! Just like your mother deserved to die! You deserve all of it! Even you deserve—"

Then Kyosuke's mouth made contact with Yoh's fist, or rather, vice versa. Kyosuke let go of Anna as he fell to the floor. Anna's legs were weak so she fell too.

Yoh looked apologetically to Anna, "You're not hurt, are you? He didn't…" He trailed off.

Anna shook her head still trying to comprehend what just happened.

"Anna doesn't deserve any of this! She never did!" Yoh bent over to Kyosuke and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "But you…you deserve _this_."

"Hah, you think you can beat _me_?" He said wiping some blood off of his chin.

"You just ate my fist didn't you?"

Kyosuke glared, "I'll report you. I'll say that this is a horrible inn and you'll get arrested and fired."

"I'll report _you._ I'm the owner of this place; I reserve the right to refuse anyone I want. Besides, you busted into _my_ room."

"It doesn't matter, kick me out if you want, but I'm taking Anna."

"It doesn't look like you're in any position to order me around," Yoh's fists got tighter.

"Anna belongs to _me_. She's still part of my 'family'. _Dad_ wants her back."

Anna had never seen Yoh this angry. He gritted his teeth, "Then what?"

"I'm going to marry her," he smirked, "Then she'll be all mine."

Yoh fought the urge to smack the smirk off his face, "You can't because I'm marrying Anna."

Anna's eyes widened, "…Yoh…"

Kyosuke's glared shifted from Yoh to Anna, but then smirked slightly, "But you can't, Anna's not yet 18."

"That goes both ways, _sir_."

"See, but she can get married if her '_father_' consents."

"Really. Is Haijime_ really_ credited as her father? Does he have the adoption papers?"

It was almost as though Yoh could see the sweat dripping from Kyosuke's face as he gritted his teeth.

"I thought so. Anna can do what she wants. She doesn't belong to you."

"You neither."

"I'm not controlling Anna or forcing her to stay here. She can leave if she wants."

"Didn't you say you're getting married?"

"We are, after she's 18."

Kyosuke glared at Anna, "Do you want to marry him?"

His look was supposed to scare her and bring back terrible memories. It was supposed to make her crumble into Kyosuke's hand, but she wasn't afraid. Yoh would protect her. She nodded, "Yes."

"Why you—" Kyosuke attempted to get up and hit her but Yoh pushed him back down.

"There's nothing I'd like more that to smash you and your father's faces in, but that wouldn't look good for the Inn's business," Yoh stood up and brought Kyosuke with him. Surprisingly, Yoh was taller, "Now get out of my Inn before I call the police to escort you out."

He let go of Kyosuke's collar. Immediately, Kyosuke reached out to fix the creases created. He turned to head out the door. Anna was still on the floor holding her shirt closed. As Kyosuke walked pass, he glared at her then swiftly turned around to punch Yoh in the face. Yoh wasn't expecting it, so he fell back a bit. Then Kyosuke went after Anna.

She tried to back up but, as it was, she was already against the wall. Just before Kyosuke reached Anna, Yoh tackled him. Kyosuke hit the back of his head on the staircase.

"Kyosuke this is your last chance to leave," Yoh wiped a drop of blood from his lip as he got off of Kyosuke. He still held Kyosuke's arms down firmly, "I swear there are worse things I can do to you then a fat lip."

Yoh started to push Kyosuke up the stairs, making sure he couldn't turn around and attack Yoh. Once up the stairs Kyosuke yelled, "You'll never get rid of me, Anna!"

Yoh's grip around Kyosuke's wrists got so hard it felt like a burn. He gritted his teeth, "Come near her again and I'll castrate you."

Kyosuke gave a scowl. He knew Yoh wasn't the weak boy he used to push around. By the way Yoh was gripping his wrist, he knew Yoh wasn't bluffing.

Yoh and Kyosuke reached the front desk where Hao was waiting frantically. He caught site of Yoh, "Anna?! Is she…"

"She's fine," Yoh gave a slight smile, "Call the police."

Hao smirked, "My pleasure."

Anna sat against the wall. Her arms fell to the floor and her head drooped. She tried to comprehend what exactly happened. Kyosuke came, she thought she was doomed to the nightmare, but then Yoh came and protected her; doing exactly what he promised. And……and he said that he wanted to marry her.

Anna must've been sitting there for a while because before she completely understood what happened, she heard the door open. She saw a figure come down the stairs. For a half-second she thought it was Kyosuke…but no, Yoh took care of that.

He walked down the stairs to where Anna was. He smiled, "He's gone."

"What happened?"

"We called the police. That should keep him busy for a while."

"Will he be back?"

"He better not."

"But he could?"

"As much as I'd love to have thrown him in jail, we didn't have proper evidence. But if he comes again, I'll think of something."

Anna looked downward slightly, "I see."

Yoh took off his shirt, "You can have mine."

He looked away as she changed shirts. When she was done, she threw hers on him. He smelt Strawberries and Champagne and laughed as he took it off his head. She was buttoning up her shirt. When she was done, he reached out his hand to help her up.

She looked down shamefully, "I…I can't." She was mad at herself for being so weak, but her legs were still in shock and refused to help her up.

"It's ok," he said as he picked her up bridal style.

"Y-Yoh!"

"It's late and I'm exhausted. Whadda'ya say we call it a night?"

"I'll—I'll get to my room myself!" She glared at him.

"Well, what if I want to?" He gently smiled, "Is that all right?"

Anna leaned her head on his bare chest as she softly nodded.

He chuckled as he carried her to her room. He opened the door with his foot as he so often did. He set her in bed and pulled the covers over her.

"I told you not to baby me," she half-glared.

"And I told you that I'm not. I'm just taking care of you," he said kneeling beside her bed.

"Yoh?"

"Hm?"

"…You don't have to marry me to protect me from Kyosuke."

"I know."

"So it wasn't all talk? You weren't lying?"

"No. Were you?"

Anna shook her head. She silently cursed herself for not voicing her answer.

He smiled, "Then it works out, right?"

Anna nodded. She wanted to speak, but couldn't find the voice.

"Well, it's been a long day," Yoh said as he stood up and stretched, "I don't ever want to strive on only 3 hours of sleep again. Goodnight, Anna."

"Goodnight, Yoh," Oh sure, she could voice that.

After he left, Anna laid there staring at the door. Then she turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. That conversation seemed a little awkward…but she knew that was her fault. She wondered how he felt. She didn't exactly show her joy when he mentioned getting married; but she was happy. She just wasn't good at showing her emotions.

She got up and changed into her shirt that she called her pajamas. She was contemplating whether or not to go down to talk to Yoh about the whole thing but he was exhausted.

But she decided to go down now. She needed to tell him how she felt. She wanted him to know that she wanted to marry him and she wanted to know if he really wanted to marry her. When she went down, he was already asleep.

"Yoh…" she said sitting on the bed.

There was no response and his back was towards her.

"Yoh…" she repeated as she laid down, "Yoh, are you sure you want to marry me?"

Yoh moaned, "I already said I wasn't lying. We're practically married already." There was a slight pause, "Why? You don't want to marry me?"

"I…" she wrapped her arms around him, "I do. I just…thought you liked Julie…"

"Julie?" He was just too clueless sometimes.

"Yes, she likes you and I thought you liked her too."

"No." He held onto her hands, "It's not her I like."

Anna smiled and held tighter as she buried her head into his back.

"You know, for a while there, I thought you liked Hao."

"Hao? What were you thinking? You've got the wrong twin. I thought it was obvious I didn't like him."

"Not obvious enough, I guess," Yoh mumbled and he drifted, "Anna, I'm dosing off."

"I can't sleep, Yoh."

"Sleep beside me."

Anna closed her eyes, "I don't know why I was so jealous of Julie."

"What?"

"I was jealous of Julie because she seemed to have more of your attention," her arms around him loosened, "I guess maybe it was because I had figured we'd always be together……I thought you had replaced me."

"Don't be ridiculous," he mumbled, "I could never replace you."

She smiled as her arms got tighter around him, "Yoh?"

"Mm?" he moaned.

"I…" her head buried in his back, "…love you." There. She finally said it. They've known each other for at least 13 years and it took her this long to finally admit it to herself and him.

Yoh smiled as he took a hold of her hands, "I love you too, Anna." He turned around to face her as he sat up a bit.

Anna smiled at him; she looked so beautiful. He bent down and gently placed his lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around Yoh's neck to pull him closer. The kiss was deep and passionate, but chaste.

When Yoh pulled away, he smiled and softly said: "Goodnight, Asakura Anna."

"Asakura…I like that name," she smiled as she pulled him down for a goodnight kiss.

_A sense of relief filled throughout me. I knew everything was going to be all right. I had doubts about the way Anna felt about me, but now I knew that she loved me the way I loved her. I did plan on purposing to her properly, but I guess this worked out too. _

_I was scared she'd be more worked up on Kyosuke's return, but it seems as though she's comfortable. I didn't break my promise and I never planned to. She knew that too. Finally we'd be together like we always thought and knew we would be. And right now, at this moment, she's perfectly in the right mind. _

* * *

_**THE END.**_

_Just kidding._ **Actually, that was originally the ending. When I thought this story out, I was only sure of the Prologue and I wanted to end with this chapter. But then I got to thinking that maybe this might not be a proper ending and I thought that maybe you readers would want more, so here I am, writing another chapter AND an Epilogue. I've just got one thing to say: **_**I don't know what I'm doing**_**. But I really hope you guys will like what I've got in store and I can't wait to hear what you guys think!**

And well, I wasn't going to write the Kyosuke part…but it just made more sense with him in it and I really just wanted Yoh to punch him because I hate him…Guys,** please don't think I've got a sick mind or anything to create such a character…!!** I really wanted Yoh to beat him up some more, but I couldn't have Kyosuke all bloodied up and then Hao call the police…that would just look wrong O.o

**The ending (after the Kyosuke part) was what I was looking forward to writing. Because, they're going to get married!! Yay!! So, overall, I think it came out pretty good. **

**And a little FUN FACT **(_for those who want to read_):

Kudos to those who noticed, (only _Smart Angel_ commented on in her review and I'm not sure if you guys noticed and just decided not to comment about it) but if you didn't know, then I'll tell you: in the last chapter at the end, when Yoh mumbles something under his breath, I didn't write what he says and Anna smiles as though she's heard it. Well what Yoh really says is "I love you, Anna." But I didn't write it because I wanted the first "I love you" to be written in this chapter (while they're both awake) and I don't know why, I just wanted Anna's "I love you" to be said first, but really, Yoh's was. : )

**ONE QUICK THING I WANT TO SAY:** sorry I keep rambling on and on with my ending author's note. Haha, half the story's length is my author's notes O.o **I'm going to try my hardest to update the day before I leave or the day I leave for my vacation. I'm going camping, so no computers. So please review, because seriously, that really motivates me.**

So **PRDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE:** A hopeful prediction for Saturday! : )

**Thanks so much ladies and gents!! Hope to hear from you!! Until next time!! Ja ne!! **


	10. Perfectly

Holy Ravioli! The new chapter is here!! Yay!!** I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter since it's not planned, but I still think it's acceptable. But sometimes I fear I've made it too **_**squishy**_**. But I haven't gotten a lot of time to edit it, and I was determined to get this out before I left. So please excuse any grammar and/or spelling mistakes. **

**Ahhh! I couldn't think of a chapter title either!! So I just came up with something…sorry if its lame…**

**And thank you all for your wonderful reviews!! I love you!!**

**Please, Enjoy!!**

Chapter 9:

"Perfectly"

_I woke up, but didn't open my eyes, I was afraid that yesterday was all a dream. If I opened my eyes now, I'd be utterly disappointed if I found that it was just a dream. I moved my hands a little and smiled. My hands moved along Anna's small back and tangled a little in her hair. It wasn't a dream. Anna and I were going to get married._

Yoh opened his eyes and looked down. In his arms was Anna sleeping soundly against his chest. He smiled, it was no dream; he and Anna agreed to get married.

Anna moaned a little bit as she moved slightly. Yoh's movement must've woken her up. She opened her eyes and looked softly up to Yoh. A small smile was placed on her lips, "Good Morning."

Yoh smiled, "Good morning. Sleep well?"

She nodded and backed up a bit so she could look into his face better, "I had no nightmares."

His smile widened as he sat up, "That's good." She stayed lying down staring at him. He took her hands in his and stared at them. If only…if only he had a ring, to help remind him that it wasn't a dream. Then an idea struck him, "Stay right here." He said as he got up.

"W-what are you doing?" Anna sat up as she saw him go through some of his stuff.

"Hm, I might've left it in your room…" he said thoughtfully. Then he flashed her a smile, "Be right back!"

He left and she sat there wondering what he was doing. She heard a few things rumbling around. She lifted an eyebrow; she was tempted to go up there to see what he was doing. She hoped he wasn't going through her stuff.

"Found it!" he said coming down the stairs, but she saw nothing, though, it looked like something was in his hands.

"Found what?" She asked as he sat on the bed.

"Give me your left hand."

She didn't question him as she gave him her hand.

"Now, this is only temporary," He said while tying a ribbon around her ring-finger, "until I can afford to get you a ring."

When he was done, she examined the ribbon. It was white with little red apple decorations on it, "Th-this is…"

"It's so old, sorry."

"I can't believe you still had this!"

"I couldn't throw it away," he laughed.

_The ribbon had been from when we were little. I gave her a roll of it for her 7__th__ birthday. She loved and used it for everything: for her hair, for tying things, as a sort of bracelet, anything she could think of. And one time, I was leaving for the weekend to come to Funbari to visit my grandparents. It was the first time we were to be separated for that long since we've met. Neither of us wanted to be separated, so, Anna being the clever one that she is, tied the ribbon around my finger. When she was done, she smiled at me,_ "Don't forget me."

_I smiled, as if I could ever forget her. When she tied it, she tied it on my left hand. She wore the ribbon in her hair, but also tied it on her left hand. Back then we didn't know the significance, but it would sure explain why our mothers were giggling and chanting _"How cute!"

_But it was around that time…when I got back that Haijime first showed up. But I refused to keep that part in my pleasant flashback_.

Anna smiled, "And you did remember."

Yoh nodded, "Of course. But I didn't wear it because my fingers are too big. Luckily, yours are still the right size."

She still stared at her finger and whispered, "Perfect."

"And y'know," he smiled, "Your birthday's coming up. Perfect timing, huh?"

She looked up and nodded at him, "Then I'll be free from Haijime and I could marry you."

Something about those last four words made Yoh's heart jump. He never knew Anna saying those words could make him so happy. To be with Anna always; that would be a dream he never wanted to awake from. He hoped that she felt the same way.

Yoh leaned in to kiss her forehead. Anna closed her eyes as she felt his soft lips, "Yoh…"

He lifted her chin up so she could look at her. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw her worried look, "What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know if I deserve this," Anna turned away.

"What do you mean? You aren't still worried about Kyosuke, are you?" He gave her a half smile, "Don't believe anything he says."

She looked at her finger with the ribbon, "You've done so much for me…to remember me. I've…I've done nothing. I gave up, Yoh. I stopped living my life when I turned 14. I stopped hoping. I stopped trying," her eyes winced, "I stopped caring. I let them do whatever they wanted because I thought that I'd never see you and I'd probably end up dying anyway."

"Anna…"

"You shouldn't want me, Yoh. If you knew what was good for you, you'd stay with Julie."

Yoh rolled his eyes, "I don't like Julie, I want you."

"But, Yoh…" She closed her eyes, "What Kyosuke said was true!"

Once again, Yoh took a hold of her chin to have her look at him, "I don't care. It wasn't your choice."

"But…but I gave up, I let them," she winced as she tried to look away, but in the end, decided not to.

He gave her a soft smile, "And who could blame you?"

She looked at him; shocked.

"Even still: I don't care. You're still Anna, whatever you've done," he smiled, "You're still the Anna that I love."

"Yoh…" her eyebrows furrowed as she embraced him, she rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "You're too good for me."

"Nonsense, Anna," Yoh said as he held her tighter, "No one is better than the other."

"Even if they're apples and oranges?"

"Especially if they're apples and oranges," he closed his eyes as he smiled.

Since she was on his shoulder, she turned her head to kiss his neck.

He smiled, "You know, we're going to have to tell everyone."

"Mm," she moaned, not liking the idea and nuzzled against his neck, "Fine. You tell the boys, I'll tell the girls."

"And Hao?"

She pulled away and smirked, "Together."

He caught her smirk and laughed, "Okay."

"But…"

"But?"

"Rules," she backed away and put her index finger on his lips.

"Rules?" he slumped his shoulders down.

"Uh-huh," she pressed her finger tighter to his mouth, "No kissing in public."

"Wha?" He moved her finger, "Why not?"

She looked away with a faint blush, "It's embarrassing."

"So…no kissing?"

"No!"

"Not on the forehead?" He kissed her forehead softly, and before she could answer, kissed her on the cheek, "Or on the cheek?"

"N-no!"

Yoh pouted and crossed his arms, "Okay…you have to follow these rules too then."

She looked away again and her blush deepened, "Okay, fine. Only on the forehead and cheek. No lips."

Yoh smiled, "I can live with that."

"Oh, and one more thing."

Yoh moaned, "What is it?"

"No pet names," Anna gave a disgusted look.

Yoh laughed and pretended to be disappointed, "Aww, so you mean I can't call you _Anna-baby_?"

"Ew. Definitely not."

He laughed more, "It'll grow on you."

"As if," Anna rolled her eyes and then she looked around. Then her eyes locked on something, "Hm. I guess that'll have to do."

Yoh titled his head in a question as Anna got up and grabbed something.

"Give me your left hand." She demanded.

He did as he was told.

She opened the black marker that was in her hand and drew a ring around Yoh's figure, "That should do."

Yoh laughed, "Y'know…usually the boy doesn't wear the ring until the marriage."

"I know," she closed the marker, "But, you know we're practically married already, so this shouldn't matter. Besides," she gave a smirk, "I want everyone to know you're mine."

"Still worried about Julie?"

"Shut up."

"But you know," he looked at his finger, "Hao will probably guess what's happened. He's been bugging me to propose for a while now."

"Oh well," she smiled, "He'll still have a reaction."

Yoh laughed, "He sure will."

Anna gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Let's get breakfast."

"Okay!" Yoh smiled as Anna got up to get dressed.

While she was getting ready, Anna stared in the mirror and wondered how things would change. She already saw a change in her face. Her aura was much brighter and no matter how hard she tried, the ever-so small smile on her face would not disappear. But that was a good thing. She didn't want that smile to go away, because if she had that smile, then she could believe that everything would be all right.

So much had changed over night, it seemed. She had a sudden urge to kiss Yoh all over, over and over. She didn't know why it suddenly came to her. Maybe…maybe it was excitement? She had always tried to deny it, but she loved Yoh since she could remember. She wasn't always aware that she loved him, but she was definitely sure on that day Yoh had taken a beating for her. But she thought she would never see him again, so she pushed him out of her mind. But now she was here. And she was proud that it was her who confessed first.

She wondered too, if Yoh wanted to kiss her all over, over and over too. She had been doing pretty good, so far it was Yoh doing all the kissing. Anna gave a slight smile and blush. She was a little confused right now. Should she keep holding tight and being conservative? Or should she just let herself go? Her eyes widened, what was she thinking? Her pride would definitely not allow her to go wild…would it?

She almost laughed at herself in the mirror. This was ridiculous, thinking all these thoughts. She had to hurry, Yoh was waiting for her. She reached the door and put her hand on it. This was too good to be true. They couldn't really be getting married, could they? Just the thought of it was embarrassing and wonderful at the same time. She didn't know what to feel. She opened the door. Things wouldn't change and it shouldn't have to. She could be herself, like she was back when they first met.

Yoh was waiting quietly for Anna, staring at the black-marker ring around his finger. He was so utterly glad that Anna had told him she loved him. He always had a feeling that they would be together, but now that it was declared officially, emotions seemed to be jumping out from everywhere and he was having a hard time controlling himself.

_Anna and I together. It was so natural and yet so astonishing. Words couldn't describe it. It came so slowly, but yet so fast. Ever since we were separated, it seemed so long until I would see Anna again, and yet here we are. As if no time had passed. And in just 2 months, we already decided that we would get married. It shouldn't be too big of a deal…can't say that no one expected it, but for some reason…I couldn't calm myself down. And not that I would want the smile to disappear from my face, but even if I tried I knew it wouldn't. She would be herself again, without fear of anything._

Anna walked halfway down the stairs and smiled at Yoh.

"Ready?" He asked as he walked to the staircase.

She nodded and waited for him to get where she was. Once he caught up, they made their way up the rest of the stairs and out the door.

On their way to the diner, Yoh slipped his hand in hers, "Is this allowed?"

She looked at their connected hands and then up into his eyes. A smirk was placed on her face, "Well aren't you bold? Doing this without consulting the rules beforehand."

"Well," Yoh shrugged, "You didn't mention it before, so I decided to take a chance."

The smirk turned into a smile, "Then fine. It is allowed."

"Awesome," he grinned and gave her hand a tight squeeze, "I'm looking forward to finding more loop holes."

She squeezed his hand harder, making him say "ow", "Oh, we'll see about that."

Yoh laughed, nothing between them had changed and he was glad.

They arrived at the diner and got their breakfast. They sat down comfortably at a round table (Yoh and Anna sitting across from each other) and started their breakfast. It was quite peaceful and relaxing until they heard a voice call:

"Anna!"

"We're just starting the day and you already have to bug me."

"Hey," Hao raised his hands defensively as he approached the table, "I was just wondering it you were all right."

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, and Hao sat at the table, technically in the middle of Yoh and Anna, "Yoh was perfectly capable of handling the situation."

"Oh, I see," it seemed as if he was about to laugh, but he was suddenly cut off. His eyes were fixed on something. Both Yoh and Anna looked confusedly at each other and then back at Hao.

Anna lifted a brow and tried to trace his eyes, it looked like he was concentrating, then suddenly she knew. She lifted her left hand and turned it into a fist and placed it under her chin, as she expected, his eyes followed.

"What is on your finger?" He asked.

"Oh? This?" She asked, pretending she didn't know.

"Lemme see it," Hao said as he grabbed her hand and examined the ribbon.

"Excuse me!" Anna pulled her hand away, "Is _that _anyway to ask?"

Hao looked at Yoh with a puzzled face, "Is that the ribbon she used to wear all the time?"

Yoh smiled, "Uh-huh!"

"You still had that thing?"

"Of course, why not?"

"Well why of all times would you—" something had struck Hao, "WHOA!! Don't tell me you…!"

"What?" Anna smirked as she leaned her head on her hand which was propped up on the table, "_'Don't tell me you…'_ what?"

Hao hopefully turned to his brother, "You proposed??"

Yoh smiled, "Yup."

"AHA!" Hao cried out slapping Yoh's back, "So my little brother has balls after all!"

Yoh laughed, "Hey! What do you mean by that?"

"Geez…FINALLY!" Hao laughed, "I was afraid I'd have to convince Anna to propose."

"Hey, I'm not even 18 yet," Anna lifted a brow, "What's your hurry?"

"Well, everyone knew you two would get married! But the wait was killing all of us! Even Mom and Dad knew!" Hao turned to Yoh and then reached deep inside his pants pocket, "Oh! Which reminds me, remember how I was looking for something yesterday?"

"Yeah. What? You finally found it?" Yoh asked.

"Yup," Hao pulled it out of his pocket, but kept it covered, "It was actually for you."

"_You_ giving me something? Doesn't seem right…"

"Well, more correctly, it's for Anna."

"What?" Anna was now paying more attention.

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked, frustrated that Hao always took long to get to the point.

"Okay, well while you were gone, Mom and Dad visited me," Hao rolled his eyes, "And they left me something to give to you. But I was a little embarrassed, so I hid it, and as you can tell I kinda lost it and—"

"Just tell us what it is already!" Anna got impatient.

"_Voila_!" Hao opened his palm to reveal a diamond ring.

"A…ring?" Yoh repeated slowly.

"Yup, Mom and Dad brought it for me to give to you and for you to give to Anna when you're ready."

Yoh took it and laughed, "Well, sorry Anna. I don't think me and Hao were supposed to have this conversation in front of you."

Hao rolled his eyes, "Whatever. At least I gave it to you. I probably would've forgotten."

Anna smiled, "That's okay."

"Should we take the ribbon off?" Yoh asked.

"No, I'll wear both."

Yoh smiled gently, and it was like suddenly Hao wasn't there. He reached out and softly took Anna's left hand and effortlessly slipped the ring on, "Anna, will you marry me?"

She forgot Hao was there as well, "Of course."

They leaned in towards each other, so close their lips almost touched until they heard a, "Whooo! Go little bro! Show that you've got balls after all!"

Yoh almost slammed his head into the table while Anna's foot slammed into Hao's leg.

"Owwwwwww! What the—!"

"You're lucky I didn't hit _your_ balls!" Anna glared hard as she stood up and walked away.

Yoh's head was on the table, and although he was mad at his brother for ruining the moment, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Owww, I don't see what's so funny!" Hao said rubbing his leg, "I could've lost any hope of me reproducing!"

"That's what I'm laughing at," Yoh lifted his head, "You know not to mess with Anna."

"I know, but you know she would've hit me anyway, just for being here," he smiled, "I just thought I'd make a good reason for it."

"Well you should've thought of something _else_ to say," Yoh laughed and got up, "Excuse me, I gotta catch up with her."

Hao laughed and said to himself, "Eh, I guess the hit was worth it."

Yoh caught up with Anna and slipped his hand into hers, "Sorry Hao ruined the mood."

"Whatever," Anna grumbled.

Yoh gave a hopeful smile, "Wanna continue our _conversation_ in our room?"

Now Anna looked up and smiled, "You and those loop-holes."

Yoh shrugged, "Hey, what can I say? I try."

"Oh!" Yoh and Anna heard a cry coming from their left.

"Hmph," Anna pouted, "Speaking of moment-ruin-ers, her comes the Queen of it herself!"

"Anna!" Yoh nudged her a bit as to signal: "Be nice!"

"Good Morning Yoh! Anna…," Julie trailed off once she saw their connected hands.

"Good Morning, Julie!" Yoh said happily.

"Oh," she blinked a couple of times as she looked at Yoh, "You seem in a good mood…"

"Well, it's been a very good day so far," Yoh beamed.

Once again Julie looked to their connected hands, "I see…"

"Was there something you needed?" Yoh asked politely, noticing that Julie was distracted.

"Um…" she forcefully looked away from their hands, "Anna, is it possible that I talk to you later on?"

Anna took a minute to answer, surely Julie saw that things were turning out for Yoh and her, but she decided to humor Julie anyway, "Okay, but I have work until 7:00."

"Okay, so about 7:30 at the diner, is that okay?"

Anna nodded.

"Okay, well, I've got to get going," Julie said quickly, "Class is going to start."

"See you later! Have a nice day!" Yoh shouted as Julie walked away.

Julie managed to show a quick smile, "Bye! You too!" And with that she quickly made her way to the door.

"Hm," Yoh gave a little moan, "I feel a little bad…You shouldn't have told me she likes me."

"It was obvious! And this was going to happen either way."

"Yeah, I know. But you know me…"

"I know, breaking her heart is something you shouldn't be proud of," Anna looked at Yoh, "Especially for you, as nice as you are."

"Yeah," he said slowly and quietly, and then looked to Anna, "But be nice to her, okay? Don't rub it in her face or anything."

"Can't promise you anything…"

"Anna!"

"Okay, fine," she mumbled, "I'll try my best."

Yoh smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze while playful saying, "You can do it."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Let's just get back to the room. I need to catch up on my shows."

"Shows?" Yoh's face dropped as she started pulling him to the B level, "But—But what about our _conversation_?"

"_Hm_," she moaned playfully, "I'm suddenly not in the mood."

Yoh's eyebrows furrowed, but then suddenly he smiled, "Is there any way of changing your mind?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully and then smirked, "We'll see."

It had been a while now since Yoh and Anna had watched her program together. It had always been one of them out at work. But Anna found a channel that showed re-runs of her show. So Yoh and Anna sat down to watch it. At first they sat at the end of the couch as they usually did, but then Yoh smiled, "Lay with me, Anna."

Anna looked at him and nodded. Yoh laid across the couch, but spread his legs apart so Anna could slip in with her head on his chest. She fit so nice and perfectly there, as if meant to be. She put her small hands on his chest and he wrapped his strong arms around her waist. Anna closed her eyes; she didn't care about her program. In fact, she didn't care about anything right now. Nothing but Yoh and she hoped that he felt the same.

As if Yoh could read her mind, he held her tighter. She looked up to look into his eyes. He smiled at her and said, "I'm so glad you agreed to my proposal."

"As if I would disagree," Anna smirked.

Yoh closed his eyes and smiled, "I wouldn't mind…staying like this."

Anna smiled and closed her eyes too as she rested against his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat, "Me neither."

They stayed close to each other just like that, enjoying each other's company without words. They didn't need them. Words weren't too important to Anna; Yoh's actions were always what counted. And right now she had never felt so loved. Love. It was something she didn't get much of. From her step-family she got false love, no, the word love couldn't even be used, even if it did have false in front of it, to describe what her step-family decided to give her. She had always been loved by Yoh and has always belonged to him. Everyone could see that, and now it was clearer than ever that their bond could try to be stopped, but it was stronger than anything else. Yoh knew this, and Anna was just starting to realize it.

_I made a promise to myself and right at this moment. I promised that I would do anything in my power to make Anna happy, so that we may always have time to be like this. No one would ever hurt her again, not physically and definitely not emotionally. She could be herself and I can be myself. I loved Anna, and that's all that matters._

After time passed by, they tuned out the unchanging dialogue and sounds from the television. It was only until there was a change in the sound that Anna opened her eyes. It was the theme song of a totally different show, meaning that her time here was over and she needed to get ready for work. Anna groaned.

"What's wrong?" Yoh opened his eyes to look at her.

"Work," she moaned, she attempted to get up, but Yoh's arms were still around her.

Yoh slowly held onto her as he brought them both up. She was now on his lap. He gave a sheepish smile, "I never thought work could be such a drag."

Anna smirked, "I just realized something."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Since you're the owner…" her smirk was still present, "When I marry you…will that make me co-owner?"

"I guess," Yoh shrugged.

"Great!" Anna said while getting up and stretching, "Then I've got _a lot_ of ideas to improve this ol' Inn."

Yoh started to laugh, "Oh really? You're looking forward to owning this Inn with me?"

"Of course," Anna smiled, "We'll share the same job and improve it together. And you're going to give me an easy life."

Yoh smiled a gentle smile, "Of course, Anna. I'd like nothing more."

Anna smiled and kissed him, "I've got to get ready. We'll continue this later."

Yoh gave a little groan as Anna walked away and headed up the stairs, "It's _always_ later!"

He could hear Anna give out a little laugh as she entered the room to get ready. When she was done she said her goodbyes and left for work. Work always seemed to go by fast whenever she was dreading to meet up with someone, and this time definitely didn't fail her. She actually was rather busy, but being busy just made the time go by so much faster than she thought it would and before she knew it Yoh showed up to start his shift. Meaning she only had a half hour of work left.

"Hey Anna," Yoh smiled, "How's work so far?"

"Too fast," she said while looking at the list of rooms she assigned to people.

"Well you've only got about a half hour left…" Yoh started.

"Don't remind me."

"Why are you so worked up? Julie's not going to do anything to you," he laughed.

"I know," she glared, "I just…have a bad feeling about it."

Yoh's face got serious, "What kind of bad feeling?"

"It's nothing," she turned away from him. Maybe it was just her extreme dislike for Julie that was making her antsy.

Yoh looked at her skeptically.

"I just don't like Julie, okay?"

Yoh sighed and turned back to his work, "Okay. I believe you."

As expected, the last 30 minutes was more like 5. Anna couldn't believe it went by so quickly. She didn't even get up when it was 5 minutes past the time she was supposed to get off.

"Anna," Yoh put a hand on her shoulder, "Your shift was over 5 minutes ago."

"I know," she couldn't shake the bad feeling she had. But its true, what was Julie going to do? Anna instantly got mad at herself; she wasn't going to let Julie make her feel like this, "I was just double checking the rooms."

Anna handed Yoh the list and walked out of the front desk area, "I'll see you later."

"Okay. Have a _nice_ chat."

"Whatever," Anna mumbled as she walked to the B level to change. It didn't take her long at all to change, so she decided to wait at the diner and grab a quick snack. It frustrated her how Julie worried her so much. That Julie could invoke negative emotions in Anna and make her flustered about things.

After finishing her snack and waiting a bit, Anna looked up to the clock. It read 7:31; one minute pasted the given time. It was forgivable, she had been late to their meetings before, so Anna decided to over-look it and wait. But when it was now 7:36, Anna decided to get up. Usually Julie was very punctual and at times over polite, so this was not like her at all. She didn't think it was possible for Julie to do, but was Anna possibly stood up? Anna's eyes narrowed as she quickly strode to the front desk.

"What's Julie's room number?"

"What? Why?" asked a confused Yoh, "Did you have your meeting yet?"

"No, that's why I'm asking you what her room number is," Anna impatiently crossed her arms.

Yoh gave a confused look.

"She didn't show up. I want her room number to see if she's there."

"Are you worried about her?"

"No, I'm _angry_ with her," Anna impatiently tapped her fingers against her arm, "It's now 7:40, she's 10 minutes late."

"Well everyone can be late once in a while…"

"Julie's never late."

Yoh's face turned serious, "You don't think that the bad feeling you had…"

"I'm sure nothing's wrong," she uncrossed her arms, "Now, the room number please?"

"514, fifth floor."

"514, okay, I got it," she said turning to leave.

"Um, Anna," she stopped and he gave a concerned face, "Please let me know if anything's wrong."

Anna nodded and turned to leave. As she walked to the fifth floor, her stomach started to churn. What was wrong? She couldn't possibly be worried about Julie, could she? But then what was this feeling in her stomach? Her head and stomach pounded as she stopped in front of room 514.

Anna clenched her hand into a tight fist to knock, but then something stopped her. She heard a muffled noise and maybe, she wasn't sure, but she thought she heard someone saying: "Sshh…"

"J-Julie?" She asked as she leaned her ear to the door. She heard another muffled noise and slight movement. Anna's eyebrows furrowed, "I…I'm coming in."

She slowly reached for the door, but then quickly opened it just to get it over with, "Julie?"

The sight made her eyes widen. Julie was up against the wall, eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks, some of her blouse's buttons were undone, "A-Anna…"

"Why, if it isn't Anna-chan…"

"Kyosuke…but…" Anna's lips trembled as she slowly backed up.

"Uh-uh-uh," Kyosuke shook his head slowly, "Do you really want to back out of this room and leave me with this _beautiful_ girl?"

Anna's eyes shifted to Julie. Sure Anna wasn't fond of Julie, but nothing Julie could do would make her deserve this. Julie was absolutely terrified, silent tears were running down her cheeks and she was shaking. Anna looked at Kyosuke and swallowed hard. She decided to enter the room.

"That's a good girl, now close the door," he signaled for her to come closer, "We wouldn't want any other intruders."

Anna did as she was told and slowly stepped closer to Kyosuke; she tried to keep her strong face, "I thought Yoh told you never to come back here!"

"Like I'd listen to Yoh…" he said as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

Anna flinched at the touch, "Why did you involve Julie?"

Kyosuke laughed coldly as he started to walk to Julie and stroked her cheek the same way he did with Anna, "This sweet ol' thing?"

"P-please don't…" Julie closed her eyes tightly.

"Stop it!" Anna yelled. She would hate to see Julie go through what Anna had.

Kyosuke then turned to Anna and played with a lock of her hair, "Well actually from the back, I thought she was you. So when I found out that she wasn't you, I asked about you. She told me that you were going to meet her later and she told me she'd take me to you." He then turned to look at Julie, "Instead I followed her here to lure you here. So I decided to have a little fun before you came…"

"You disgusting pig!" Anna yelled as she slapped Kyosuke. She slapped so hard she could feel her own hand sting. She knew that hitting him would result in her own pain and punishment. But it did feel wonderful, being able to smack the perverseness off his disgusting face. Even if she got hurt a thousand times more than he did, it was still worth it.

"You BITCH!" Kyosuke pushed Anna against the wall and slapped her, pushing down one of Julie's tables.

"ANNA!" Julie cried out; her voice was full of fright.

"Julie! Go get Yoh!" Anna cried out, trying to get away from Kyosuke's grip.

Kyosuke roughly turned his head to Julie while still pinning Anna tightly to the wall, "You will stay right there or I can promise things won't turn out well for Anna."

"Julie! Just go!"

"But…Anna…you'll…!"

"Shut up!" Kyosuke once again slapped Anna.

She hit her head pretty bad against the wall and things were starting to get fuzzy and dizzy, "Please, Julie! I've dealt with worse…just please get Yoh!"

"N-no…" Julie cried…covering her mouth with her hand, and saying in-between sharp breaths, "I…I can't…! Anna!"

"When will you learn your lesson…" Kyosuke growled as he once again hit her.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Anna yelled back at Kyosuke, "I'm not your play thing!"

"To hell you're not!" Kyosuke pressed tighter against Anna, "I'll make you regret those words! You're mine and will _always_ be mine!"

"Get off!" She tried to move her legs to get him to back off, "I won't let you…!"

Kyosuke laughed coldly while Julie quietly backed up. She was directly behind Kyosuke, so he couldn't see that she had picked up the phone and quietly pressed the "Front Desk" button. She was crouched down on the floor and closed her eyes tightly, trying to drain out the yelling that was going on behind her and silently prayed for Yoh to answer the phone. She was hoping that he'd pick up the phone and hear the noise going on. It rang for what seemed like forever until finally she heard Yoh's voice, "Hello, this is the front Desk, Asakura Yoh speaking."

Right after that, the noise behind her stopped and Julie opened her eyes…Kyosuke didn't hear Yoh, did he? Then she felt a shadow upon her. She slowly looked up to see Kyosuke standing above her; his face was unpleased. Her eyes widened as she heard Yoh ask again, "Hello?"

"Yoh!! Please help!! Anna's—" Then the phone jack was disconnected.

"That was very naughty of you, _Julie-chan_," Kyosuke bent down to be Julie's height. He cupped her face in his hands, "You're going to have to be punished…"

"No…please," tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Bastard!" Anna said as she punched Kyosuke, knocking him over, "Leave Julie out of this."

Kyosuke stood up and laughed, "Why, you're awfully brave today aren't you?" Kyosuke rubbed his cheek. Something was different, it wasn't a regular punch, something harder had hit him. And that something made him bleed. That's when he noticed her finger, "Oh…I see…"

Anna followed his eyes to her finger as she tried to hide it behind her, "Don't touch me…"

"Why you little whore," he stepped closer to Anna. Unfortunately, she ran into the same problem she always seemed to run into, she backed into a wall. Kyosuke forcefully grabbed her hand, "What's this?!"

"We told you already! Yoh and I are going to get married! We aren't afraid of you anymore!"

Kyosuke let out a frustrated growl as he gripped onto Anna's small wrists so tight she was losing circulation, "Let go!"

"No!" Kyosuke threw off Anna's ring and pulled on her ribbon.

"Stop!" Anna tried to pull away.

Then Kyosuke's arm swung around and hit Anna hard on the cheek, making her land on the floor with a loud "thud".

"Anna!" Julie cried out while seeing Anna's body hit the ground.

"Now your punishment…" Kyosuke turned to Julie.

"Anna! What did you do to Anna?" Julie asked backing away to the door.

"I shut her up for a while…she's such a noisy little one…" Kyosuke stepped closer and closer, "Don't even think of leaving. I know where you live now. Besides, if you leave now…you'll be responsible for what I do to Anna…"

"I…thought you said you were her brother…"

Kyosuke laughed, "Dear, I am her _owner_. She belongs to me and I was simply retrieving her." Then he looked at Anna, who was unconscious on the floor, "But then Yoh got in the way and now she has these stupid ideas that she could live freely here."

Then Kyosuke pulled onto Julie's wrists, "You'd better learn from this, Julie-chan. You don't mess with me. Whatever I want, I get and right now I want…" He licked his lips.

"Oh God…" Julie breathed.

Then suddenly the door opened, "Get your hands off the girl!"

Kyosuke's eyes widened; the police were here. Immediately he let go of Julie, "I-it's not what it looks like…"

"Save it, I know you're the same guy as yesterday," the police officer said as he got out his handcuffs.

"Anna?!" Yoh asked making his way through the police officers.

"Yoh!" Julie cried, getting his attention.

"Julie! Are you okay?" He put his hands on her shoulders to examine her better, "And where's Anna??"

"I'm fine, I wasn't hurt…but Anna," Julie turned to where Anna was lying.

Yoh followed Julie's eyes and saw Anna on the floor. His eyes widened with fright, then he turned angrily to Kyosuke, "You bastard!" He launched forward.

"Yoh!" Julie pulled him back while the police out stretched a hand to signal Yoh to stop.

"Don't worry, this man was caught in the act," the police officer said, "Beating him up will not be good on your half."

Yoh let out a frustrated sigh and said with a solid deep voice, "You will **NEVER** come here again. You **WILL** leave Anna alone. Got it?"

Kyosuke just looked away in frustration.

"Don't worry, sir," the police officer said, "We'll make sure of that."

"Thank you," Yoh nodded as he went to where Anna was. He knelt down and propped her up, "Anna? Please tell me you're okay?"

"Mmm…" she groaned, "…Yoh?"

"I'm here," he said sadly, "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier and you ended up like this."

"No, it's okay, really," she opened her eyes slightly and sat up a bit. Her injuries weren't serious. She gave out a little smile, "I finally……I finally got my "justice"."

Yoh's eyes widened.

"I'm not afraid of him anymore," she still had the smile, "I'm a little glad that you weren't here. If you were here I probably wouldn't have had the chance to punch him."

"She did it twice," Julie informed.

Yoh smiled at Anna and she smiled back, "Thank you for making me feel like I shouldn't be afraid. This is actually turning out into a wonderful day, I finally got to punch him, and now he's getting arrested."

Yoh gave out a little laugh, "I'm glad you're okay, Anna."

"Of course," Anna said while trying to get up. Yoh ended up helping her and she leaned on him. He held on tightly to her.

"Here," Julie said as she handed something to Anna, "Kyosuke threw these off."

In Julie's hand was Anna's ring and ribbon. Yoh took them and said "thanks" and he put the ring back onto Anna's finger and tied the ribbon around it. Anna smiled as she looked into Yoh's eyes. Even though she just had a horrible run-in with Kyosuke, she couldn't help be feel happy. He was getting arrested, she saw him in handcuffs, and she finally got her "justice", she was able to punch him…_twice_. And to top it all off, she was still here…with Yoh.

Yoh leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back he heard her grumble, "Excuse me?"

"I said," Anna gave a slight glare, "I knew you'd break the rules…"

Yoh's face dropped, "B-but…but…"

"Rules are rules: no kissing in public," Anna crossed her arms, "And sorry, there are no loop-holes for that one."

"Aw, c'mon, Anna!"

"Nope," she turned away, "Now I must think of a punishment."

"Aww…" Yoh moaned and Julie giggled.

Anna looked at Julie after hearing her giggle, "You were very brave, Julie."

"Anna…who was that?"

Anna closed her eyes and gave out a sigh, "My step-brother…"

"Has he done this before?" Julie quietly asked.

All Anna could do was simply nod.

Then one of the police officers interrupted, "We need you for questioning."

Anna was first and then Julie, then Yoh, just to confirm things. While Yoh was getting his questioning done, Anna was waiting for him. So Julie too this time to talk to Anna, "Um, thank you. If you hadn't had come…I don't know what would've happened…"

"It was nothing," Anna shrugged and crossed her arms, "I've been through a lot worse and at least this time he ended up arrested."

"Anna?"

"Hm?"

"I know you don't like me much, but believe me when I say I wish for the best with you and Yoh," she looked away nervously, "And I hope that we could become friends?"

Anna sighed and uncrossed her arms, "…I'm sure that's possible…"

"Really?" Julie's face brightened.

Anna nodded, "I may have been…" 'wrong about you' is what could've been suspected, but Anna didn't believe she was wrong and even if she was, she would never admit it, so instead she said, "…a little mean, but now you understand where I come from. I can't trust people that easily, and Yoh is the only one I trust."

Julie slowly nodded and said quietly, "I understand."

Then, with perfect timing, Yoh was done with his interview and walked over to Anna and Julie.

"Finally," Anna said, "I'm tired, let's go home."

"You're sure you're all right, Julie?" Yoh asked.

Julie nodded, "Thanks, and thanks for your excellent timing."

Yoh smiled, "If there's any trouble or problems, come see me."

"Thanks," she nodded, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Yoh and Anna said in unison as they turned to make their way to the B level.

"How are you doing Anna?" He asked as he slipped his hand into hers.

"I'm actually…" she gave a smile, "…fine. I'm perfectly fine."

Yoh saw no lie in Anna's face. She must've just been relieved that she saw Kyosuke with her own eyes getting arrested. She seemed really mellow right now, though Yoh was still worried because from what Julie said, Anna was hit multiple times. But Anna seemed absolutely fine, and that was enough for Yoh.

They reached their rooms and Anna turned to Yoh, "I'm really tired. I think I'll go to bed."

"Okay, goodnight Anna," Yoh leaned in to kiss her goodnight.

Anna put her index finger on his lips, "Punishment."

"What?" Yoh asked, "This is my punishment??"

"Yup," she crossed her arms and smirked, "No goodnight kiss."

"At all?"

"No."

"Not even on the cheek?"

"No. No kisses until tomorrow."

"But Anna…" he whined.

"You brought this upon yourself."

Yoh sighed, "Fine, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she smirked and turned to go into her room.

Yoh sighed and descended down the stairs. He made his bed and got ready to sleep. He stared at the ceiling and smiled. It made him happy to see that Kyosuke was arrested and to hear that Anna was no longer afraid of him. He raised his arms over his head and rested it on his hands.

_It was great. Things were finally starting to look up for Anna. Julie explained to me a bit when Anna was being questioned about the Kyosuke incident. I was very proud of Anna and I'm sure she was very proud of herself. She had control of her life finally. No, she had always been in control of her life; she was just so haunted that she didn't realize it. The past was always something that was in the back of her mind constantly, warning her about stuff, not letting her be herself. But now she wasn't afraid, she was safe and she knew that she could live here without having to constantly be cautious about her life. She did live a horrible life, but now it was all behind her, and it will never harm her again. And I never blamed Anna for the way she's acted. Who's to say that I wouldn't act the same way if I was her? I believe that—_

"Hm?" Anna was standing by his bedside, "What is it, Anna?"

"I can't sleep," she mumbled.

"Me neither," he smiled and lifted the sheets for her, "Join me?"

Anna didn't have to answer as she slipped in.

"Goodnight, Anna," Yoh said as he closed his eyes, but then opened them when he felt her lips upon his, "B-but the punishment…?"

"Screw the punishment," she said against his lips, "I've changed my mind."

Yoh smiled into her lips, "If you say so."

—_She was perfectly in the right mind._

* * *

_Well…I guess there's no use for those pajama bottoms now _XD_ Hahaha, jk. _

Whoo! That was the last chapter!! I hope you liked it!! **The Epilogue will most likely be short. Yes, short. We'll see if it's possible for me to do that on this story, but I believe it will be. I really don't have much idea of what to do…I **_**sorta**_** know what I want, but I'm open to any suggestions. All I really know is that it's set in the future (obviously), but like years-later-future and then I've got like the two pages written in my notebook, but I don't want to spoil it. So please, suggestions are welcome. I can't guarantee that I'll use it, but it is still very much appreciated. : )**

**And I'd like to thank the song "Paris 2004" by **_**Peter, Bjorn & John**_** for giving me an idea for the beginning of this chapter.** I was listening to my music like I always do when I write and I was totally stuck, staring at my computer screen when the song popped up and I heard the verse that said:

"_Monday morning,  
We have to fly back home again._ (totally last chapter)

_While I'm sleeping,  
You paint a ring on my finger with your black marker-pen."_ (ta-da! Anna drawing on Yoh's finger!!)

And then there's another part where he says "_Let's skip breakfast"_, but every time I hear it, it sounds like he says "Let's get breakfast." So that's why I put that part in. : D And then he says _"We need this precious time just to comprehend"_, so there, it kinda fit.

**Thanks so much for reading!! I feel so bad that the Epilogue will most likely be the shortest one I've written and you have to wait the longest for it to come out. : ( **

**But I'll definitely try to upload it as soon as I can! I'm bringing my notebook with me so I'll be writing while I'm away! So please leave me nice reviews so I can look at them when I come back!! When I'm sore from hiking every where, they'll definitely make me feel better!! I'll really be looking forward to it!! Thanks so much! I hope you liked it!! Until next time, Ja ne!**


	11. Epilogue: Reflection

**I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG.** First off, I was on vacation (which was wonderful) but the day after I got back…my kitty died…sniff sniff…I was too sad to write. And then my godmother (who is like a second mother to me) was admitted into a hospital…I was too worried to write!! And then when she finally got out…school had started up again for me! So little by little I've been writing…**I hope you forgive me**. I've spoiled you with my quick updates! Hahaha, just kidding.

And, **I know I said the Epilogue was going to be short…but. It's not. I decided to make it longer because if it was short, it wouldn't have been worth the wait. So I decided to make it longer, as to be worth the wait! And I hope that this story is what you were hoping for!!!**

**And please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors. I'm taking a term paper class that's making me write an essay every week, so you'd think I'd be better at this stuff…but when it came time to writing this story, I got too tired to check all the errors. I did proof read…and I believe everything is in ship-shape, but if its not. I apologize.**

**Lastly, before I get started…I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all you reviewers out there…You helped me reach my goal and I love you all!!! I REALLY hope you enjoy the ending of this story, which for me was like a long journey. And a special thanks to Jamesters, who's been with me every step of the way, encouraging me to write more and more! Thanks guys, I love you all, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart.**

**Enjoy!**

Epilogue:

"Reflection"

_It had been 7 years. 7 years since Anna and I got married. We still lived in Funbari at the Inn. With Anna as the co-owner and her new ideas, the En Onsen had become more popular and the En Onsen family grew bigger, in many ways actually. Everyone who worked there was considered "the family" and not only did that family expand, the Asakura family did as well. Anna and I had a son, just turned 4 years old, named Hana and Anna was seven months pregnant with our daughter. Finally Anna was living the life she deserved. _

_A lot of things had changed. Some people had moved on, like Julie for insistence. She took the offer and dormed at her school. She visited every so often, but when her schooling ended, she moved back to North America. But she does write every so often, she thinks that maybe she'll come back for a visit sometime. _

_The others, like Pirika and Ren, got married; it's going to be their fifth year now. Horo-Horo and Tamao were engaged to be married and Hao actually got a steady girlfriend. Things were different, yet the same and it made me feel extremely content. My family was my life now, and as long as they were happy, then I was. _

_I closed my eyes and folded my arms under my head as I let out a light chuckle._

"Yoh?" He opened his eyes and turned to his side.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" He looked at his wife apologetically.

"I'll say," she rubbed her eyes and spoke quietly, "What were you chuckling at?"

"I was just thinking," he whispered as he leaned in closer to her, "About how fortunate and happy I am to be here with you."

She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. Then Anna felt a light tug on her hair. She looked down.

"Me too?" There, lying between Yoh and Anna, was a miniature version of Yoh with blonde hair beaming.

"Of course, Hana," she leaned down and kissed her son on the forehead. He gave her a toothy smile and a little laugh as he hugged her.

"Hey, what about your old man?" Yoh ruffed Hana's hair.

Hana smiled and hugged his father, "Good morning, Daddy."

Daddy. Something stirred inside him whenever he heard that. It just made him so utterly happy to hear that; to know that he and Anna had made something beautiful and that they had the chance to help Hana be a happy, prosperous boy.

"And good morning, little sis!" Hana said getting hugging Anna's stomach. He felt a little movement and gasped as he looked up to his mother with an open mouth.

"She says 'Good morning, big brother'," Anna smiled at her son.

Hana smiled and stood up on the bed, "I can't wait until she comes!! We'll have lots of fun, won't we?"

Yoh nodded, "You'll be the best big brother there is, right?"

Hana nodded enthusiastically, "Uh-huh, uh-huh! Uncle Horo-Horo says that the big brother's job is to take special care of the little sister!!"

"And you're up to that job?" Yoh asked.

Again, Hana nodded enthusiastically, "Uh-huh, uh-huh!" Then he looked at his mom and calmed down a little bit, "When is she coming?"

"Not until another 2 months."

Hana's eyebrows furrowed and a pout was formed.

"Don't worry," Anna said, trying to sit up. Yoh helped her sit up and then she signaled for Hana to sit with her, "She'll be here before you know it."

"I hope so," his face lightened a bit.

Anna smiled and pushed a few strands away from his face and his smile was beaming.

_Anna loved being a mother. She wanted to give her children the love she had when her mother was alive and she wanted to make sure her children would never encounter what she did when she was younger. Though, she knew that for her children to encounter what she did when she was younger was impossible, she just wanted to make them happy. I wanted the same as her and she knew we shared the same dreams. She once said to me when she was pregnant with Hana,_ "I'm so glad I'm with you. I could not think of a better father than you."

"I promise I'll give you and our son an easy life," _I had told her._

_She smiled and kissed me,_ "Then I'm counting on you."

"I won't let you down," _is what I said and I had meant it. She made it easy for me as well to live up to what I had said. Everything was so natural with us and I knew that not everything in life would be easy, but as long as I was with Anna, then my life would be more than bearable._

"Chibi, you know what today is, right?" Yoh placed a hand on Hana's head.

Hana looked up at Yoh, "Mommy and daddy's anniversary!"

"Yes, so that means you have to sleep in your own bed tonight," Yoh ruffed Hana's hair a bit.

Hana pouted, "But I don't want to!"

"Mommy and daddy need some alone-time," he said gently to Hana.

Then Hana gave a glare to his father; one that definitely told everyone that he was Anna's son. Then he turned to look at his mommy with a pleading face, "Do I have to?"

Yoh gulped a bit. Anna was much softer on her own son than on anyone else. Anna opened her mouth and Yoh anticipated her answer, "I'm sorry, Hana, just for tonight."

"But why?!" His eye brows furrowed.

"You have to start learning how to sleep in your own bedroom," Anna said gently as she stroked his hair.

"But its lonely up in that room," he pouted.

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay?" Anna gave a small smile.

"Daddy too?" Hana turned to look at his father.

"Of course," he smiled, "Now, get dressed; we have a long day ahead of us."

"Okay!" He beamed as he jumped up and headed to his room.

Today they were going to Hick Town or, as it is now called, "Izumo." Since it became more popular, roads were created over the years to make it easier to get to. So, instead of taking half of the day to get there, it only took a couple of hours, and this time, there was a train route they could take.

A while passed before Hana came down the stairs, running so fast his almost tripped. He came and tugged on his father's shirt, "Are we ready to go yet?"

"Almost," he put a hand on his son's head, "Mama's still getting ready."

"Bentos?" Hana asked as his stomach growled.

"Don't worry, I made some," Yoh smiled, "Want something to eat before we go?"

Hana nodded, "Banana!"

"Banana?" Yoh laughed, "Not an orange or an apple?"

Hana shook his head, "Banana!"

"Okay," he smiled at his son and then walked to the kitchen, "A banana it is then!"

Yoh handed the banana to his son and his son took it graciously. Then he looked up at his father, "Milk!"

"Hana!" Anna walked in, "Is that anyway to ask?"

"May I have some milk please, daddy?" Hana asked slowly.

Yoh ruffled his boy's hair, "You may."

Anna stood by Hana, "No child of mine is going to have bad manners."

Yoh let out a chuckle as he set the milk down in front of Hana.

"And don't let him get away with it," Anna put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, mama," Hana looked up at his mother with his big dark eyes.

"It's okay," she said as she placed a hand on his head, "But we have to leave soon, are you ready?"

He looked at her and smiled as he nodded, "Can we bring the pictures?"

Anna nodded. Hana let out a happy exclamation, then quickly finished his banana and drank his milk.

"Done?" Yoh asked.

"Mhm," he nodded.

"Okay, get your jacket," Yoh smiled and then looked at Anna, "You've got the bentos?"

Anna nodded, "I can stick the photo albums in my bag too."

Yoh grabbed the photo albums and Anna stuck them in her purse. They could hear Hana upstairs rummaging through his things to find his jacket. Yoh laughed and Anna smiled.

Yoh slipped his hand into Anna's, "Are you okay? You don't need anything?"

"I'm fine," Anna smiled and placed her free hand on her pregnant belly, "I've packed enough things, just in case we get hungry."

"Want me to carry the bags?"

"I can handle it to the train station."

Yoh smiled and leaned in to kiss his wife. He barely put his lips on hers when he heard:

"Mommy! Daddy!! Are you ready yet??" coming from the top of the stairs.

"We're coming!" Yoh said as he tried once again to kiss his wife.

"We'll be late!" Hana called out.

Yoh gave out a little laugh and Anna shook her head with a smile placed on her lips. Anna gave Yoh a quick peck on the lips, "We'll continue later."

Yoh chuckled, "Even now, it's still always later."

Anna almost laughed as Yoh helped her up the stairs, "Then you think you'd be used to it by now?"

Yoh gave a little chuckle as he held on tightly to his wife, "More like tired of it."

Hana looked at his parents from the top of the staircase, "What if we miss the train?"

"We won't miss the train," Anna said, carefully taking steps, "Even if we do, your dad can drive us." Then, she finally made it up the stairs.

"Okay, Hana, are you sure you're ready?" Yoh asked.

The young blonde nodded. He had his jacket on and a backpack full of things he could do in case he got bored on the train.

"Alright, then let's go!"

"Yay!" Hana happily exclaimed as he turned to open the front door.

They made their way to the lobby area and then the front desk to say goodbye to Hao.

"And where are my brother and very pregnant sister-in-law going on their anniversary?" Hao asked as they approached the front desk.

"Me too, Uncle Hao!" Hana raised his hand and tried to see over the front desk.

"Oh, of course," Hao leaned over to look at Hana, "How can I forget my favorite little nephew?"

"We're going to Izumo!"

"Izumo? You mean 'New and improved Hick Town'?"

"Yup," Yoh answered, "We're going back to see Grandma Annie and to see what's left of old Hick Town."

"Hm," Hao put a hand on Hana's head and smirked, "Are you sure you don't need a babysitter?"

Hana's eyebrows furrowed, "But…I wanna go…"

"Don't worry about it, Hana," Anna sent a glare Hao's way, "Uncle Hao likes to think he's funny."

"You know I'm just kidding," he laughed, "Take some pictures so I can see what Izumo looks like."

"Sure," Yoh nodded, "Be sure to take care of the inn while we're gone. We've got to get going."

"Okay, ja ne!" Hao waved as the small family headed towards the door.

"Ja ne Uncle Hao!" Hana waved as he excited the inn.

Once out of the inn, the family started their walk toward the train station. Hana happily grabbed onto his parents' hands and swung them as he walked. He had been waiting for this day. He was excited to go to the place where his parents grew up. He loved looking at the photo albums from when his parents were little, and though they've told him many times that Izumo probably looks different than in the pictures, he was still excited for their trip.

"Excited, Hana?" Yoh asked.

Hana nodded, "How much longer?"

"Not too much longer to the train station," his mom said, "Be patient, Hana, the train ride's going to be long too."

Hana pouted for a little bit, but then his face lightened when he saw the train station, "There it is!"

Luckily Yoh and Anna's hands connected to Hana stopped him from running towards the train station. They got their tickets and boarded the train. Once they found their seats, Hana looked out the window with a smile on his face. It actually didn't matter to Hana where they were going, he just wanted to spend the day with his parents. It was obvious that he loved his parents very much, and he especially loved days like this where he could spend the day with both of them. Usually one would be at work or both would be and either Uncle Hao or Auntie Tamao would watch over him, but not today. Today he got to spend the whole day with them, not just a few hours, _the whole day_. And that excited Hana to no end.

Hana leaned over and rest his head on his mother's belly, "What are we going to do when we get there?"

"Well," Anna stroked Hana's hair, "First, we're going to visit Grandma Annie's grave."

"Grandma Annie?" Hana lifted his head up.

"Do you remember seeing her picture, Hana?" Yoh asked.

Hana looked around for the photo album. Once he found it, he started looking through the pages of when Yoh and Anna were little. He stopped on a page and pointed, "Her?"

It was the picture of Anna and her mother. Anna smiled, "Yes, that's Grandma Annie."

"She looks like you Mama!" Hana gave an open-mouth-smile.

Anna gave a nod and a small smile, "See this necklace? It was a gift from Grandma Annie."

"Really?" Hana sat up to look at the necklace and then he examined the picture, "She's wearing it in this picture!"

Yoh smiled as he watched his wife and his son converse. He was sitting across from them, contemplating his life. He saw himself in his son and at times saw his wife. Then he looked at Anna's pregnant tummy. His smiled widened; his small family of three will now become four. And he was to have a daughter. If it was possible, his smile widened as he thought of her being daddy's little girl. Then he wondered if she's have blonde or chocolate colored hair, or if she'd get her mother's eyes. He wondered if Hana would go through a little bit of jealousy. He was so attached to his mother…but Daddy will help him out. Daddy will always make sure his family was happy. That was the most important thing in life now.

_I smiled to myself and remembered when Anna told me she was pregnant with Hana. It was exactly 5 years ago. She had been sick for a while, so I didn't let her work…but in exchange, she made me go to work. It was our second year anniversary, but she made me go to work in the morning. Apparently, my worrying was annoying her. _

"Tadaima,"_ I said when I reached the bottom of the staircase after working my shift._

"Okaeri,"_ Anna said from the couch._

_I walked over to see her lying down. I leaned over from the back, _"How are you feeling?"

"Better,"_ she let out a relieved sigh; her attention was on the television._

_I leaned further down to kiss her on the forehead. I took a little box that was wrapped neatly out from my pocket and held it over her head, _"Happy Anniversary."

_Finally, she looked at me, _"Yoh…?"

"What's wrong?"

_She took the present and sat up slowly. She grabbed the remote and turned the television off, _"Sit with me."

_I was utterly confused, but I did what I was told. I sat next to Anna and faced her, _"Is there something the matter?"_ Her mysterious attitude was starting to worry me._

"No, not at all,"_ she turned towards me and wrapped her arms around my neck, _"Yoh…"

_She had me at the edge of my seat. She must've wanted to get me all nervous, there's no way she'd hesitate to tell me anything anymore. _

_Then she took one of my hands and brought it to her stomach, _"I'm pregnant."

_At first, my mind couldn't comprehend it. Her words repeated in my head several times as I felt the edges of my lips curve up slowly. I didn't blink, afraid that if I did, something in this moment would change. _

"Are you all right?"_ she asked me._

"You're pregnant??"_ I felt my goofy smile upon my lips._

"Yes,"_ I could tell she wanted to laugh at me, _"_With a baby_."

"Ah!"_ Those words did it. My mind finally grasped what she said as I embraced her tightly, _"I can't believe it!!! How far along are you??"

"I'm not sure,"_ she said, trying push back a little from my tight embrace, _"I haven't seen a doctor yet."

"I'll take you there tomorrow! Or we can go now if you want!"_ I was going to be a dad. I was going to be a dad. That sentence repeated over and over and over. Then my heart did a skip-jump when I thought:_ Anna's going to be a mom…we are going to have a child.

_She kissed me softly,_ "Happy anniversary."

"Daddy?" the sound of Hana's voice brought Yoh out of his trance.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing there staring into space like a grinning idiot?" Anna smirked.

"Was I?" Yoh laughed, "I'm sorry."

Anna looked at Yoh expectantly.

"What is it?"

"I want my husband to sit next to me."

Yoh smiled, "No problem." Yoh got up and sat next to her. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she leaned against him. Yoh wrapped an arm around her, "Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'm all right," she said as Hana switched photo albums. He giggled at the one that had his mom yelling at the camera look at each of the photos carefully.

"Will we be going here?" Hana asked as he pointed to the picture of Yoh and Anna sitting on a tree branch at their spot.

"If it's still there…" Yoh said slowly and longingly. It would be perfect if he could go there on their anniversary.

After a while of looking at the photo albums, Hana looked to his father, "Daddy?"

"What is it, chibi?" Yoh kindly looked to his son.

"Music?"

"What do you say, Hana?" Anna asked.

"Please?"

Yoh smiled and took off his headphones and placed them on Hana's head. He turned the music on low and saw Hana's little face light up when he turned the music on. After a little while, Yoh took the headphones off of his son and said: "Let's see if your sister wants to listen?"

Hana confusedly looked up at his mother, "Can sister hear?"

Anna nodded.

Yoh placed the headphones on Anna's belly, while Hana still looked confused.

"She likes it." Anna smiled.

"Really?" Hana asked with a curious open mouth.

"Yes," she took a hold of Hana's little hand and placed it on her stomach, "See?"

Hana's little face lit up with astonishment and gave his parents an unbelievable look, "She's moving! She _does_ like it!"

Yoh placed a hand on his wife's belly and smiled, "You know you used to do the same thing."

"Really?" Hana's face was full of glee, "Is that why I like it now?"

Yoh smiled and nodded, "Yup. You were born loving music."

Hana looked happy and excited as he placed and ear next to the headphones, "I want to listen with sister."

Yoh and Anna both smiled. He would make a great older brother.

The rest of the train ride was basically the same. Hana listened to music, or looked through the photo albums and frequently asked "How much longer?" while his mother constantly told him to be patient. They had a few snacks and played games while looking out the window and eventually the train stopped. An Announcement came on telling everyone that they had arrived in "Izumo".

"Ready?" Yoh asked his wife and son.

Anna nodded while Hana grabbed a hold onto his daddy's hand. They made their way out of the train station and into Izumo. Their eyes widened at the site.

It was different.

Yet…

It was the same.

The buildings were different, more modernized, but everything was in the same place. From where they were standing they could see the bank, but had it been 10 years ago, it wouldn't have been visible.

Yoh gave a little smile, "It's not that bad…I thought it might look a lot more different."

Anna nodded in agreement, "Things were probably added and subtracted as well…but it still looks like our home town."

Yoh smiled, "I'm glad…"

Anna nodded as she took a hold of Hana's hand, "Well, are you ready to go?"

Hana's hand was still connected to his dad's as well. Yoh looked at Hana, "It's quite a walk, are you up for it?"

Hana nodded.

"If you get tired, just tell me and I'll carry you."

"Okay," Hana nodded and they started their walk.

The town was bigger and there were more roads, which, in a way, made it harder to get to the cemetery. They couldn't just cut across roads like they used to. But that was fine. They enjoyed their family stroll to the cemetery as Hana swung their arms and sang a happy little tune.

After a while, Anna suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Yoh asked as Anna let go of Hana's hand. She turned slightly around and stared off into a distance.

Yoh's eyes widened as he figured out where they were.

Across the street, slightly, was where Anna's old house _should've_ been. There was nothing there, just a vacant lot. The house was torn down and cement covered the ground that once possessed tall grass.

Anna couldn't help but feel a little sad. For the most part, she hated that house, yet she loved it still. It was true that she could never forget her horrific past, but she had plenty of things now that would take her mind of it. She tried not to think of that house as a horrible place, but as the place where she lived when she met Yoh and where she and her mother lived. So it was a little sad, seeing the place holding her memories of mother gone.

"Mama?" Hana tugged on Anna's dress. His little eyebrows furrowed, "Are you okay?"

Anna put on a small smile for her son, "Yes, let's keep going. There's nothing here but an old vacant lot."

They started walking, but Yoh looked worriedly to his wife.

"Don't worry," she almost whispered, "The 'now' is the only thing I'm concerned with."

Yoh gave a little unsure smile, but then Anna smiled at him, and he knew it was all right.

They continued their trek, but after a while, Hana's swinging of the arms slowed down and his sings turned into a mumble. He looked up at his father, "Daddy, I'm tired. Uppies?"

"What do you say?" His mother asked.

"Please?"

Anna nodded in approval and Yoh smiled, "Sure."

Anna let go of her son's hand while Yoh picked Hana up and put him on his shoulders.

"Wow, daddy!! You're tall!!" Hana leaned forward slightly, "I can see _everything_ from here!"

Yoh chuckled, "Tell me if you see anything interesting, okay?"

Hana nodded as they continued their walk. On the way, he pointed at various things like birds or buildings until they finally made it to the cemetery.

Once they found Grandma Annie's gravestone, Yoh set Hana down. Hana stared at the gravestone. He curiously traced the letters and looked up to his mother who was standing right behind him.

Anna placed her hands gently on his shoulders, "Say a little prayer to Grandma Annie."

"Like what?" Hana asked.

_We had told Hana about Grandma Annie and why she wasn't around. We knew that he was too young to grasp the concept of death, but we had no choice but to try to explain it to him. If we didn't, he'd ask questions as to why we didn't see her when we'd go visit her. _

"Grandma Annie had to go far away," _we had told him._

"Why?" _was the typical reply._

"Sometimes people are called to go away," _Anna explained._

"To live somewhere else?" _he asked innocently. _

"Something like that," _I said,_ "She still watches over us, but we can't see her."

"Why not?"

"It's the rules," _I continued._

"Then why was she called to go away?" _his brows furrowed in confusion and slight frustration._

_I put a hand on his head, hoping to relax him a bit, _"Usually it's not our choice. But when we are called, we have no choice but to accept it."

_His eyebrows furrowed more,_ "Will mommy and daddy be called away?"

"Not for a long time," _Anna said gently._

_Hana smiled, satisfied with that response. We could tell he didn't get it and we didn't expect him to, he was only 4. But he understood that we were going to _see _Grandma Annie without actually _seeing_ her and he decided not to question anymore. He was perfectly satisfied knowing that we won't be "called away" for a long time._

"Can she hear me?" Hana asked as he tried to think of what he could say.

"Of course she can," Anna said, "Tell her anything you want."

"Okay, then," Hana said slowly and then smiled a sheepish grin that he inherited from his father, "Hello, Grandma Annie! You don't know me, but I'm your grandson Hana. I've seen pictures of you, and you look like Mama. Mama always wears your necklace. She says that it's special to remember people we don't see anymore. And you're not here, but Daddy says that you're still watching us." Then Hana turned slightly around and touched his mother's belly, "You're watching us, but did you know that I'm going to be a big brother? Mama says that my sister is going to come soon and then we can visit again so you can see her!"

Then Hana turned to look up at his mother and smiled. Anna gave a gentle smile. She loved Hana's toothy grin. It reminded her of Yoh's and he was so innocent, just like his father.

"Should I tell grandma more?"

Anna ran a hand through Hana's hair, "You did a good job. You can tell Grandma more if you want."

Hana smiled and told his grandma a little more about himself. Anna was so proud. She was a little afraid at first that he'd be reluctant since there was no_body_ he was actually talking to and also he had never met her before. But Hana was excited and enthusiastic and Anna was glad.

Yoh smiled and said a little prayer in his mind for his mother-in-law. He knew now that Annabelle was truly resting in piece knowing that Anna was happy and that her first grandchild was ecstatically telling her things about himself.

"Well, should we set up a picnic?" Yoh asked.

Anna nodded and Yoh set out a blanket next to Annabelle's grave. It had been their plan all along to have a picnic at the cemetery. It was unusual and it was way past lunch time, but they didn't care. Months before, Yoh had asked Anna what she wanted to do for their anniversary. Since she was pregnant, he wanted her to pick and she decided that she wanted to visit her mother's grave; and there was nothing else to it. She didn't really care about how Izumo looked. Her one goal was just to see her mother's grave, since they haven't visited since before Hick Town was turned into Izumo.

Yoh helped his wife sit down and handed her a bento. Hana told his grandmother that it was now time to eat, so he sat down next to his mother. Yoh then took the time to clean Grandma Annie's grave. While he did, he smiled and talked to her a bit and thanked her for giving life to such a beautiful girl like Anna.

When Yoh was done, Anna gave an offering to her mother. She told Hana to say a little prayer in respect. They all closed their eyes and clasped their hands to together to say a little prayer. When they were done, they decided to eat.

They took their time since there was nothing else planned. They took a few pictures to add to their photo albums and Yoh and Anna played a few games with their son. And though they still had time before they had to head back to the train station, there was still one place to visit. One place that they hoped would not disappoint them.

"Are we going home now?" Hana asked a little sadly as he saw his father pick up their empty bentos.

"Not yet," he smiled as he helped his wife up, "We've got one more place to go."

Hana's face perked up, "Is it far?"

"Not that far."

"Will I like it?"

Yoh and Anna both smiled, "Yes, if its still there. Now, let's say 'Bye' to Grandma Annie before we leave."

Hana walked over to the grave and gave a little bow, "Bye Grandma Annie! We'll come back soon! Next time, with my little sister!"

Anna smiled. She faced the grave and gave a little bow and whispered, "Goodbye, mother. I promise to visit soon when our daughter is born so you can see her. I love you."

Lastly, Yoh gave a little bow and said his goodbyes, much like Hana's form of goodbye. When he was done, they decided to make their one last stop and then head home.

Hana thought long and hard while his parents held his hands and guided him along the now paved road. He wondered, where else they could go before they had to head back home? He thought about the pictures and what else he wanted to see. Then something clicked in his mind and his mouth broke out into a smile. Oh, he hoped that where they were going was what he wanted to see. In the pictures he couldn't see very well, but what he could tell was that there was long grass, a lake and a tree. Hana started to get excited as he thought of going there and running in the tall grass. His parents had once told him that that was their favorite place when they were little. He was hoping he'd be very fond of it as well.

Yoh and Anna got very nervous when they came close to where their spot was supposed to be. What if it wasn't there? It wouldn't be a surprise if the tree was gone or if the lake dried out…it was old. It's been there since they could remember and it was probably there for a decade or two before they were born. It should be no surprise if it was gone now. And though it should be no surprise, they would still be disappointed. So disappointed that they would wish they never had come to check it out. That spot was their meeting place. That spot was their _favorite_ place. That spot was where they told all their secrets. And that spot was probably where they fell in love. If it wasn't there…then what of their beautiful memories?

"There!" Hana disconnected his hand to point, "I see a tree! Is that it over there??"

In the distance they saw an old tree with only about 5 surviving leaves attached to it, threatening to blow off at any moment. The grass was still tall, but not as tall as they had remembered. And from what they could see from the distance they were in, the lake seemed to no longer exist, instead mushy grass folded over it.

"Let's go! Let's go!!" Hana wanted to run over there.

"Hold your horses," Anna held tightly onto Hana's little hand, "No running."

Hana gave a little groan, "Can we walk faster, at least?"

"Be patient, Hana," Anna said as she took in the scenery, "We'll be there soon enough."

It was a little unbelievable to her that their spot was still there. She was almost expecting to be disappointed, so much so that she didn't know how to react now that it was there.

"You can smile, Anna."

Anna looked at her husband, still a little confused on how to feel, "How is it possible that it's still here?"

Yoh shrugged, "Let's just be grateful that it is."

As they got closer they saw a sign that said "Under Construction". They paused before they got any closer. What did "Under Construction" mean? Were they going to pave this old road into a street and knock down their tree? Did it mean that they weren't allowed to go over to it?

Little Hana ran over to the sign, "What does this mean?"

"I don't know," Anna said slowly. So she _was_ going to be disappointed. She shouldn't have thought for a moment that it was possible to visit their old spot.

Then Anna felt a warm hand upon her threatening cold one, "Let's go anyway."

"Yoh! The sign says "Under Construction"!"

"So?" Yoh looked around, "I don't see a sign that says "Keep Off"."

"But, generally, "Under Construction" means—"

"Aw, c'mon, Anna," Yoh smiled, "If we were little, you would've told me that we should do it anyway. Besides, this is the last time we'll be able to see our spot as we remembered it."

Anna looked over at Hana trying to read the sign. He didn't know how to read, but he started saying the letters out loud. She didn't want to set a bad example, but then again, he doesn't know what the sign says and he wouldn't know. Besides, how soft was she getting if she actually had debate whether or not to visit her favorite spot? Usually she'd go in even if the sign did say "Keep Off". She put a hand on her belly and smirked. It was hormones making her soft.

"Well, let's go," Anna gave Yoh's hand a little tug.

Yoh gave a smile, "That's my Anna!"

Finally they had reached their spot. The lake wasn't completely gone, but it was more like a marsh now. It was mushy and it seemed to run into the grass. Anna couldn't help but to tell her son not to touch it. He moaned in agreement and decided to run in the tall grass instead. Even though it wasn't as tall as he hoped it would be, he was still determined to have fun.

"Daddy, can I climb on the tree?"

"Um, I don't know," he looked at the tree, "It's pretty old…"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Yoh looked at his wife and she shrugged, "We'll just have to keep an eye on him."

Yoh gave a half-smile and looked at his son, "Be careful okay?"

Hana nodded, "I just want to go on that branch!" Hana pointed to the one Yoh and Anna used to sit on all the time.

Yoh gave a gentle smile, "Okay, well then how about I just pick you up and put you up there?"

"Okay!" Hana nodded.

"Do you want to take your backpack off?"

"No," he shook his head slowly, "Uncle Hao told me to give you a gift for your anniversary. I want it to be a surprise!"

"Oh?" Yoh smiled, "Well okay then, but don't drop it, okay?"

Hana nodded as his daddy picked him up and placed him on the tree branch. Hana sat straddle-style on the branch and leaned his back against the tree. Then he took some things out of his backpack and said, "Don't look!"

Yoh laughed and said "okay!" while he turned to his wife and said, "I think he gets that forceful tone from you."

Anna rolled her eyes, "Whatever, help me sit down."

Yoh laughed as he helped his wife sit down. He leaned against the tree and sat down with her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. She didn't fight this as she leaned against his chest. She let out a relieved sigh as she heard Hana humming from above her.

"Have a good day?" Yoh asked softly as he kissed the top of Anna's head.

"Mhm," she nodded as she turned slightly to face Yoh, "Did you?"

Yoh nodded as he kissed Anna softly, "It just keeps getting better."

Anna smiled. She looked up for a moment to see if Hana was watching, but he was almost directly above them and he seemed to be too into whatever he was working on. She snuggled closer to Yoh's chest, "When I think about all that's happened in our lives…I wonder how we possibly survived without each other." Then she looked up at him for a moment, "Well, I suppose you living without me had a lot less problems."

"Don't be ridiculous," Yoh pulled Anna closer to him, "Don't refer to yourself as a _problem_. You know I missed you terribly and thought of you all the time."

Anna sadly looked down, "I wish I was as optimistic as you. I thought about you…but I never thought about meeting you again."

Yoh gave a little chuckle, "But we saw how that turned out didn't we?"

Anna gave out a sigh, but it wasn't relaxed like Yoh thought it would be.

"Is something wrong?"

She lifted her head up, but her eyes were still downward. She didn't look up until she spoke, "I know it's stupid. But I still wish we go back in time and grow up together."

"It's not stupid, I wish that too."

"I'm just…" She struggled to say these words, but she believed she could be honest with her husband, "…_afraid_ that, since they were so long ago, the memories from the good times will fade and I won't remember them clearly."

"Anna," Yoh looked at her but her eyes shifted downwards, "Are you still afraid of you past?"

"I'm not afraid, it's just," she cuddled closer to Yoh, "that I could never forget something like that. No matter how pleasant my life is now."

Yoh sadly looked at her remembering that not too long ago she had a nightmare and was talking in her sleep. He had to hold her and whisper soothing things to calm her down. He knew the nightmares would never go away, he just wished he knew how to sooth and relax her so she wouldn't have anymore nightmares.

"And I don't want Hana to know," she gave a quick glance to Hana on the tree branch. He wasn't paying attention to them; he was concentrating hard on his "project".

"Don't worry," Yoh started to rub her back, "He won't have to know. And we have so much to look forward to." He put a hand on her stomach, "We still have our whole lives ahead of us. I know you won't be able to forget your past, but we'll create new memories and you won't have to think so much of the old ones. You will never see Kyosuke or Kosuke or Haijime again. It'll just be us and our family at the Inn."

Anna put a hand on Yoh's cheek, leaned forward, and kissed him. But as they kissed, something bright was reflecting on their face and they had to pull away to see what it was.

"We have perfect timing, don't we?" Yoh laughed.

"It seems so."

It was one of the most beautiful moments of the day: sunset. There was no more lake for the sun to reflect off of, but it was still beautiful. Somehow, the little puddle that was left over from the lake reflected the sun into their eyes. It was bright and beautiful. The orange-pinkish sky and the purple clouds around it seem to be all too perfect and nostalgic. Memories flooded their minds just by the mere sight of it. Wide smiles crept onto their faces and they knew that this made their anniversary perfect. The sunset was their childhood defined and nothing could ever change that.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Hana said at he stared wide-eyed at the sunset.

His parents looked him, "Yes, Hana?"

"Can we take a picture of it??" His mouth was wide open in excitement.

"Of course." Yoh helped Anna to get up. Once they were both settled standing, he took out the camera and snapped the picture.

Anna turned towards Yoh, "I guess that's our cue to leave then?"

Yoh nodded and turned towards the branch Hana was sitting on, "It's time to go, chibi. Pack up."

Hana pouted, "Home?"

"Yup. It's going to be late by the time we get home and I have to work tomorrow."

Hana pouted more, "Will we come back?"

"After your sister is born."

Hana's face lit up, "Okay!"

He put his stuff into his backpack and put it on. Yoh reached up and instead of placing Hana on the ground, he placed Hana on his shoulders, "Ready to go?"

Hana nodded excitedly. Yoh couldn't see him, but Yoh could feel Hana's movements and sense his happiness. Yoh looked over to his wife, she smiled and he took a hold of her hand.

As they started walking, Anna looked to Yoh, "We should take a cab to the train station, just so we're not late."

Yoh nodded. They were quite on the main road yet so when they got there, he signaled for a cab.

"Tired, chibi?" Yoh asked as they got settled in the cab.

Hana was leaning against his mother's arm. He nodded and yawned, "Uh-huh."

Yoh ruffled his son's hair a bit, "Don't worry, you can sleep on the train and then we'll be home before you know it."

Hana nodded and hugged his backpack, "Then present!"

Yoh smiled and nodded, "Sure!"

The ride to the train station didn't take too long and they were sitting on the train before they knew it. Once they settled in, Hana took off his backpack and opened it, "Present time!"

Both Yoh and Anna stared curiously at their son as he brought something slowly out of his backpack.

"TA-DA!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!" Hana said as he handed his parents a drawing of the family all holding hands.

"You've got quite the artistic talent," Yoh nodded at the picture, even though they were drawn as stick figures, "But who's that?" He pointed to the small figure holding onto Hana and Anna's hands.

Hana pouted, "It's my sister!"

"Oh!" He looked closely at the picture and saw that Hana drew a bow in her blonde hair.

"Don't worry, Hana," Anna put a hand on his head, "I could tell who it was."

Hana gave his mother a big smile and snuggled closer to her.

"Thank you for the present," Yoh said while ruffling his son's hair a bit.

Hana nodded and then yawned.

"You should rest," Anna said as she pulled her son closer so that he was leaning on her stomach, "You've had a long day."

Hana nodded into her tummy and closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost instantaneously.

"You should rest too," Yoh said softly to his wife, "You must be tired."

Anna didn't argue as she leaned onto her husband's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Anna."

Anna smiled, "I love you too, Yoh."

A sudden thought came to Yoh's mind and he couldn't help but laugh.

Anna opened her eyes, but was still leaning on his shoulder, "What is it?"

"I was trying to imagine us old," a chuckle escaped his mouth, "I wonder what it would be like? Of course you'd still be beautiful, but I wonder what I would look like? Do you think I should grow a mustache?"

"Hmph," Anna laughed.

"Was that an indirect 'no'?" Yoh laughed.

"Just go on with your ponderings, _dear_."

Yoh laughed, "And I wonder how many more kids we'll have?"

"Hmph, you want me to bear you _more_ children?"

"The more the merrier, right?"

"You just say that because you don't have to go through the pain of child birth."

"But it was worth it, right?" Yoh said looking over at his sleeping son.

"It sure was…" she said as she stroked Hana's hair as he slept soundly against her.

"Besides, I go through 'pains' too…"

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like dealing with your mood swings," Yoh laughed.

Anna got up from Yoh's shoulder so she could glare at him semi-eye level.

Yoh laughed and kissed her softly, "I love you, _honey_."

"You're lucky I'm too tired," she smirked and resumed her spot on Yoh's shoulder. She closed her eyes, "I think it'll be fun growing old."

"Yeah?" He smiled.

"Yeah, we can be like your grandparents," she smiled, "And then pass the inn onto Hana or his kids. The En Onsen will be a family owed in for generations to come. And we'll be old and gray."

"But we'll be able to look back on our lives with a smile."

"Good," Anna said as she wrapped her arm around his and snuggled closer, "I'll be looking forward to that."

"Don't worry I promised to give you an easy life," Yoh smiled as his wife.

"Thank you," she said softly and tiredly, but also contently, "I wish I could do something for you. There is no way I could even compare to what you do for me."

"Nonsense, just being my wife is enough."

Anna gave a soft smile, "I love you."

Yoh kissed the top of Anna's head as she drifted off to sleep.

_Anna had lived a hard life. Trying to make it easier for her was the least I could do, because I was happiest, whenever she was happiest. And it made me happy to see her cool and collected attitude. She was still the same old Anna, just not as cold or distant anymore. She knew her life was never going back to the way it was before. I looked at her content sleeping face. She was safe, happy and—_

"The next stop is…" the announcements interrupted Yoh's thoughts, but he never really heard what the next destination was. All he knew was that Funbari was still a ways away and he had to think of something other than sleep to occupy his time.

He smiled at the memory that entered his mind. It was quite an appropriate thought, considering what day it was. He remembered their wedding day and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

_We had a small wedding. Or as Horo-Horo called it, we got "hitched". Anna didn't want anything big and frankly, I didn't either. So the wedding only involved a few people from the Inn and of course, my family. _

_Unfortunately, Pirika was superstitious, so she wouldn't let me see Anna before the wedding. But I was somewhat glad she didn't, because I was taken by surprise when my beautiful Anna walked down the aisle. She was always beautiful, so I didn't think it was possible to look even more gorgeous. Her pure white gown and blonde hair just lit up the room. Her dress fit her perfectly and accented her curves, her hair was pulled back into a bun, but decorated with pastel flowers, and her neck was decorated with her mother's necklace. She made me feel like a peasant marrying a princess._

_When she stood beside me, she smiled. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. I know I must've given a sheepish smile back because it looked like she was going to laugh. And then she turned her attention on the ceremony ahead of us._

_When it was over, and we finally had a chance to ourselves I asked_, "Can you believe it? It's been exactly 13 years since we first met?"

"It was a good idea to get married on the same day we met all those years ago," _she smiled_.

_I smiled back,_ "Were you nervous to get married?"

"Only because there were other people there," _she said as she looked at me,_ "What about you?"

"There were people there?" _I said jokingly._

_She gave a slight roll of the eyes. _

"Well, being married is not going to be that much different than how we are now. Do you think so?"

_Anna shook her head and then smiled. _

_I smiled,_ _but I didn't know exactly what she was smiling about,_ "What is it?"

"It's just," _her smile was so beautiful, so gentle,_ "For the first time in what seems like forever…I feel normal."

"Normal?"

"Yeah…like no crazy step father or brother is after me, and," _she looked at her white dress under her delicate gloved hands,_ "I never thought I'd be getting married. Ever since I was born and my father left, I've never felt _normal_. But now I'm here, just married to you because we were childhood sweethearts. It feels…_normal_."

_I smiled. Anna never talked much about her feelings, but I was glad that she was comfortable enough to talk to me about it. Well, she had to be now that I was her husband. But I knew she would've talked to me about it whether she was married to me or not. _

"Anna?"

"Hm?"

"Do you want kids?"

_That wasn't the question was she expecting. She started to fiddle with her gloves._ "I…I do someday. But not now…I'm not ready for that…"

_I smiled to reassure her,_ "I'm just asking."

_She smirked,_ "To complete our 'normal' life?"

_I gave a little shrug,_ "Yeah."

_She put a hand on my thigh,_ "I'd like that."

_I leaned into kiss her, but then Manta entered the room and said that everyone was waiting for the newly weds._

_I got up and offered my hand,_ "Ready to go?"

_She took my hand and nodded._

"The next stop is Funbari Station!" The announcement shook Yoh from his thoughts. He knew that, as much as he hated to, he had to wake up his wife. He wished he could carry her, just for old time's sakes, but he also had his son to carry. Besides, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to carry his very pregnant wife home.

"Anna," he said softly as he shook his shoulder a bit, "Anna, we're almost home."

"Hm," she moaned a little as she woke up reluctantly.

"Sleep well?"

"Not really," she said as she got up from leaning on his shoulder, "But I didn't expect to get great sleep on a train."

"Well, we'll be home before you know it and then you can truly rest."

"But when we get home," she gave a sly smirk, "I won't want to rest."

Yoh caught his wife's smirk and smiled, "What can I do but comply with my wife's wish?" He asked as he kissed her forehead.

"We have now arrived in Funbari!" The announcement exclaimed.

Yoh got up and gently picked up his son, trying hard not to disturb his peaceful slumber. Once Hana was safely in the arms of his father, Yoh reached out to help Anna up. She took his hand and didn't let it go as the family exited the train station. Once again they signaled for a cab and were on their way to the Inn.

Yoh set Hana between him and his wife, and smiled as he pushed some loose strands away from his little face. He was absolutely beautiful; truly his mother's son. He never even knew that something so beautiful could be created from him and Anna.

_I smiled as I remembered back to the day my son was born. Anna had convinced me to go to work. The baby wasn't due until a few days later, so I did as she said. But after a while, something didn't sit well in my stomach. I knew something was happening and I had the uncontrollable urge to go see if Anna was okay._

"Can you take over for a bit?" _I asked my brother._

"Ever since Anna came back into our lives, you've been slacking off on your work," _Hao said jokingly._

"You know that's not true," _I laughed,_ "Besides, she's pregnant and I'm worried."

"The baby isn't due just yet though."

"I know…but, I won't be able to concentrate until I know she's all right."

"Eh, fine, whatever," _Hao leaned on the desk,_ "Just remember that you owe me."

"Right, thanks!" _I smiled and headed to the B level._

_When I got to the door, I heard a grunt on the other side. I panicked and opened the door quickly to see Anna on the floor, in a little puddle._

"Anna—!"

"SHUT UP AND HELP ME!" _She yelled out in pain,_ "It was a pain in the ass walking up these stairs!"

"But…wha-what's—" _It was just happening too fast for my mind to comprehend._

"I'M HAVING THE BABY YOU IDIOT!"

"AH!" _It registered in my head that I had no idea what I should do. I knelt down beside her and started to panic,_ "Uh…uh…!!"

_She moaned in pain and grabbed me by the collar harshly,_ "Take…me…to the hospital…!!!!"

"Right! Right!!" _I tried helping her up. Then I somehow made it to the lobby and then the hospital. I think I was more panicked than Anna was. She practiced her breathing, while I kept asking if she was all right. She'd just snap at me to shut up or call me idiot._

_At the hospital our doctor told me it was okay to hold her hand, so of course I did. But had I known she was going to squeeze it until it turned blue…I might've settled for verbal support._

"I can't believe you did this to me!" _she grunted._

_I gave a sad smile. I guess letting her squeeze the hell out of my hand was the _least_ I could do, _"I'm sorry, Anna. But you're almost done, just one more big push!"

_I could tell she wanted to glare and say something else to me, but she was having trouble breathing and tried to push with all her might._

_But then just like that, it was over. It moved in slow motion, yet it was sped up. Her final push, and then all I could remember was hearing it; the sound of my son crying. Yes. _My Son_. My son…_**my son**_. I couldn't stop repeating it in my head until I finally said it out loud,_ "My son…"

_I moved so that I could go get a look at him, but then I felt a slight squeeze on my hand. I hadn't even realized that Anna had stop squeezing until she did it again. I looked at her with furrowed eyebrows_.

"Not fair, I birthed him," _she said out of breath, _"After all this trouble…either I see him first or we see him together."

_I smiled and bent down to kiss her moist forehead,_ "You did well, Anna."

"Yeah, well don't ask me to do it again," _she smiled._

_Then the doctor came over to us, presenting our little boy_, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Asakura, you've given birth to a beautiful baby boy."

"Yoh!"

"Huh?" _I snapped out of my happy memory._

"We're here!" Anna said as she gestured towards the inn.

"Oh!" Yoh gave a sheepish smile, "I must've spaced out again."

"What about this time?" She asked as Yoh paid the cab driver.

"About this little guy's birthday," he said as he gently picked up Hana. Then he went to the other side of the car and helped Anna out.

"You mean you remembered when I was in _agonizing pain_?"

"Um," Yoh gave a nervous smile, "Uh…I…I'm really sorry."

"If you were really sorry," she put a hand on her very pregnant belly, "_This_ wouldn't have happened."

"I-uh…I…"

"I'm just kidding, Yoh," Anna said as she started to walk to the B level, "Why _wouldn't _I want another child?"

Yoh smiled and followed his wife, "Then you don't mind?"

"Of course not," she grabbed his hand, gave a light squeeze and smirked, "As long as you're there to hold my hand."

Yoh gave a nervous laugh, "It still hasn't recovered from the last time!"

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it if you want more kids."

Yoh sighed and looked at his left hand, "Well, I'm right handed anyway…so I guess that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Anna smiled as they made their way to their home.

When they arrived, Yoh opened the door and then entered into Hana's room. Anna walked over to the bed and lifted his sheets so Yoh could place him down. Once he did, he took off Hana's shoes and his jacket. When Yoh was done, Anna placed the covers over Hana and made sure he was tucked in comfortably. Then Anna leaned over and kissed his cheek and whispered, "Goodnight."

Yoh gave his son a little kiss on the forehead and followed Anna out the door. He helped her down the stairs and then went to fold out the bed while Anna got ready for bed.

When Yoh was done, he changed into his nightwear, which was just his undershirt and boxers, and sat on the side of the bed. He closed his eyes and gave a tired sigh.

"Tired?" Anna said suddenly from behind him and made him jump a bit. She sat behind him and gave him a hug from behind.

"Mhm," he agreed and leaned onto her ever-so-slightly.

She kissed his neck, "You didn't sleep on the train, did you?"

"Nope," he closed his eyes. "I "spaced out" again."

"You've been doing that a lot lately, haven't you?" she asked as she leaned into his back.

"Well it's our anniversary, shouldn't we be reminiscing?" He turned his head slightly toward her.

"You're right," she turned his head more towards her, making him move too; "We _should_ be reminiscing." Then she kissed him passionately on the lips.

Yoh couldn't help but smile as he turned his whole body to face her. He cupped his hands perfectly around her face and she dug her hands into his hair. He started to lean over her a bit, but as far as she was concerned it was all right, she actually encouraged it and pulled him closer to her.

_Kyoyama Anna, now Asakura Anna. My best friend, and love of my life. We were like apples and oranges, two opposites, but we complemented each other and knew each other inside and out. We met on that fateful day in kindergarten and just knew that we were meant to be together, through thick and thin, from sickness and in health, in the good times and in the bad…for as long as we shall live. We were separated for nearly 8 years, but fate brought us back together, because everyone knew that's where we were supposed to be: together. And that's how we'll stay._

_Anna could be difficult at times and secretive about her emotions, but in the end I knew she trusted me. In the end I knew she loved me as much as I loved her, and she needed me as much as I did her. And she wouldn't let the past rule her life, because not only was there sadness in her past, there was good too. It was her choice to remember what she wanted, and now I knew for sure that she didn't hate her past because it wasn't her fault. All the past was, was a bad memory, and that's how she chose to look at it because it couldn't come back, and it wouldn't come back. She wouldn't let it, and I wouldn't let it. She was in control and that is why—_

"Mommy!! Daddy!"

Yoh and Anna pulled apart as they heard their son's voice from the staircase.

"What is it, Hana?" Anna called.

"I can't sleep…" they could hear him slowly coming down the stairs, "And it's dark…can I come sleep with you?"

"Hao was right," Anna mumbled.

"How was he right?"

"We should've got a babysitter," Anna smirked. She was joking, yet there was a little truth behind it.

Yoh laughed while Hana reached the edge of the staircase.

"Come here, honey," Anna called to Hana and he ran as fast as he could to her side of the bed. He almost collided into her belly but she stopped him and picked him up. He snuggled tightly in his mother's arms and she rubbed his back, "After tonight, you're sleeping in your own bed, got it?"

Hana rested his head onto her neck and nodded. Anna gave his a little kiss and tried as carefully as she could to slip into the covers.

Yoh smiled and slipped into the covers to join his family. He said goodnight to his son and then leaned over to give his wife a goodnight kiss, "I love you, Anna."

"I love you, Yoh."

—_She is Perfectly in the Right Mind._

**END.**

* * *

Have I become a mushy, squishy, jiggily mount of goopy glop? Yes, I think so. **I tried to make the Epilogue like a reverse Prologue…like instead of him narrating the present in the italics, the past was italicized…which I guess how it's supposed to be. I really hoped you liked it. I had so many ideas for the epilogue and I had trouble choosing which path to take. But I think it turned out fine, right? I really hope so. I would HATE to disappoint you. Seriously. I hope it was worth the wait. Again, sorry for making you wait so long!**

**And now, I'm going to thank all of you who reviewed!! Yes, yes, I'm going to name you in the order of the reviews for each chapter!! Bold are those who were signed in. (and if I spell any names wrong, I AM SO SORRY)**

**Thank you:**

**Lady Zayriah,** **Kat-san, chromate, **jamesters**, xdark0rose, Smart Angel, **tammy doll x**, ****, Baybay18, **chita**, lovesanime92, MoonCastic, Alli Copen, SwordOfOblivion, lauralove, **MonroseTheBeast, **Suprema Omnyoji no Kami Sama**, **Nightglider-star**, rex, PeNnY-cHan, **Aspexit, Babsi-Flocke**, **Ja 01'Loving you Always**, yehey, **FuzzehxSocks, HawkofNavarre, **DanicaRosales**, Omnistar Zeke, **Cosmos_star, **xmegaminoaix**, divinity, Triva, and **channe**!

**Thanks bunches!! I love you guys!!! And I loved getting your long reviews and such!! I will definitely miss it!! **

**A little Fun Fact:**

Originally, the young and pretty Julie Anderson was supposed to be an old troublesome woman by the name of Linda Robinson! But at the last minute in my rough draft I changed it to a younger woman with a different name. I think it worked out for the better, ne?

**And in total (not including the author's notes), this WHOLE story was 301 pages O.o I don't believe it…do you? I think my math skills are off…XD Well anyway, the point is: Thanks for sticking with me through this long story. If I were you, I probably wouldn't have read it…so thanks for giving my story a chance!! It means a lot to me!**

**Check out my profile for ideas for a **_**possible**_** new story!**

**Thanks so much for joining my little "journey"! I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it! See you next story!!**


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